


you're the fire and the flood

by mrsenjolras



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: + many disney princesses, Famous Harry, Friends to Lovers, Kid Fic, M/M, Non-Famous Liam, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 05:11:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10780251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrsenjolras/pseuds/mrsenjolras
Summary: He stops short, because standing in front of him with a small smirk on his face is none other than Harry Styles, who Liam saw on the cover of Heat just this morning in Tesco apparently stuck in some complicated love situation with at least three Victoria’s Secret models. Harry Styles, the lead singer of Black Coast, the indie band currently blowing up the charts. Harry Styles, the man who apparently helped Liam’s five-year-old daughter when she got lost in the park on a cloudy Sunday afternoon in late September.[Or: Liam is a single dad, Harry is a rockstar, that's how their story begins.]





	you're the fire and the flood

**Author's Note:**

> ahh it's done! after a year of sitting in my drive where i refused to look at it when i didn't have to i'm officially done!! shoutout to the wonderful [jessimond](http://jessimond.tumblr.com) for making the beautiful cover to this fic and thanks to all the mods at 1dbigbang for running a great fest!
> 
> full disclaimer this is the first fic i have completed since i was 13 writing twilight fic on ff.net so feel free to let me know what you think, and i hope you enjoy :)
> 
> title is from the song fire and the flood by vance joy

Maddy was missing. Maddy was _missing_.

Liam had only looked away for a second, to make sure Beth’s knee was okay after a small trip, and when he looked back his eldest daughter was nowhere to be found.

 _Nice work, Payno_ , a voice eerily similar to one Louis Tomlinson’s said in his head. _Dad of the year_.

“Okay, okay, calm down,” he mutters to himself, frantically scanning the park and trying to push down on the panic rising in his throat. He hauls Beth up into his arms and starts to push Lily’s stroller, all while surveying the horizon for a glimpse of ringlet curls falling out of their ribbons.

“Maddy? Maddy!” he calls, holding Beth tighter when she starts to get fussy.

“ _Daddy_ ,” the three-year-old whined. “I wanna go _down_.”

“Sorry, baby,” he mutters, eyes still searching for his five year old among the parents and children scattered throughout the park. “But we’ve got to find your sister first. Did you see where she went?”

Just as Beth is about to answer, he hears a voice calling from behind him. He whips around, hearing Beth’s startled giggles at the sharp movement, and is greeted with the sight of Maddy running towards him, trailed by a stranger.

“Oh, thank God,” he breathes, crouching down and sweeping Maddy up in a hug, both his arms now occupied with his little girls. “Madeline Grace Payne, what were you thinking? I’ve told you again and again not to go wandering off like that! You scared me, darling.”

“I wanted to see the ducks,” Maddy explains, pouting slightly, and one of these days, Liam swears, he will learn to become immune to that look. Today is not that day. “But then I got lost but it was okay because Harry found me and helped me get back to you and Beth and Lily!” She finishes, gesturing at the stranger still standing slightly off from Liam and the girls with a huge grin that shows off her gap teeth.

“Okay, okay,” he places Beth and Maddy down on the grass next to Lily’s stroller, taking a quick glance inside to make sure the baby is still sleeping soundly. “You two stay _right here_. Don’t move, I mean it. I’m going to go thank, what was it, Henry? Oh, Harry. I’ll thank him for bringing Maddy back, and then it’s time we head home and start getting ready for dinner, all right?”

He takes a few steps towards the stranger, still keeping one eye on the girls as Maddy begins to regale Beth with her grand adventure to find the ducks. When he finally looks at the other man he’s greeted with the sight of a tall lad in worn-out Chelsea boots attached to a pair of legs in jeans that looked almost painted on. Liam spares a moment to wonder how he got in them, and then maybe another one admiring the guy’s thighs before he snaps out of it.

“Hey mate, thanks so much for--oh my God,” Liam continues his upward glance to see a ridiculously gaudy floral shirt opened almost halfway down the man’s chest, showing off just a hint of tattoos before his eyes finally reach the stranger’s face, and he stops short.

He stops short, because standing in front of him with a small smirk on his face is none other than Harry Styles, who Liam saw on the cover of _Heat_ just this morning in Tesco apparently stuck in some complicated love situation with at least three Victoria’s Secret models. Harry Styles, the lead singer of Black Coast, the indie band currently blowing up the charts. Harry Styles, the man who apparently helped Liam’s five-year-old daughter when she got lost in the park on a cloudy Sunday afternoon in late September.

“Uh, oh, wow,” Liam stutters, dumbstruck. “Um, I’m Liam, Liam Payne, Maddy’s dad. I’m really sorry if she caused you any trouble, she’s pretty--uh--”

“Rambunctious?” Harry _bloody_ Styles cuts in, and here Liam is making a right tit of himself in front of a Brit-award nominated singer. “Yeah, I could kind of tell.”

“Yeah, that’s her,” Liam laughs a little awkwardly. “Seriously, though, thanks so much. You really didn’t have to do that, and I’m sorry if she bothered you. Honestly, surprised she didn’t recognize you, you’re only in my best mate’s favorite band, and--”

“Just your mate’s favorite?”

“Sorry?” Liam looks up from where he was staring at the ground as he rambled, and _wow_ , Harry Styles does not get any less good-looking the more time you spend with him.

“You said we were your mate’s favorite band. Not yours, though?” Harry Styles (really, Liam needs to stop calling him by his full name in his head) repeats, tilting his head to the side and smiling a little more, world-famous dimples starting to appear.

“Uh, no offense, mate, but there hasn’t been much on at my house besides The Wiggles and Princess Elsa in the last five years,” Liam replies, gesturing behind him at where his daughters are still playing.

Harry laughs. “Yeah, looks that way,” he says, looking over at the girls before his eyes return to Liam’s. “Maddy told me she was almost six, how old are the others?”

“Almost six,” Liam scoffs. “She’s only been saying that since the day she turned five. She’s still got another five months. Beth’s three, and Lily--she’s in the pram--she’s eight months.”

“And their mum?” Liam must make some kind of face, because Harry immediately backtracks. “Sorry, sorry, that was way too personal and absolutely none of my business.”

“No, no, it’s fine, she’s--” Liam starts.

“No!” Harry cuts in, putting his hands up in front of him. “Don’t even tell me, you don’t have to.”

Liam laughs. “Okay,” he says. Harry looks shocked that Liam actually listened to him, his mouth still gaped open as if he had an argument on the tip of his tongue. He shuts it abruptly, doing a solid impression of a bewildered frog, and then he begins to laugh. He opens his mouth to say something else when a distinct baby’s cry cuts through the air from behind Liam. When he turns around, he’s faced with two guilty faces and one sobbing infant.

“Sorry, Daddy,” Beth says.

“I just wanted to tell Lily about the ducks,” Maddy finishes. Liam sighs.

“Well, that’s my cue. Really, thank you so much for helping her,” he turns towards the girls to start shuttling them back home, reaching into the pram to give Lily her dummy and tickle her belly a bit to stop her crying. He makes sure they have everything before grabbing Beth’s hand and pushing the pram towards the exit of the park, Maddy trailing behind with her hand gripped to the leg of Liam’s trousers. They’ve only gone a short distance before a voice calls out behind them.

“Wait! Liam, wait!” Liam turns to see Harry jogging towards them. “Give me your email.”

“Sorry?”

“Give me your email,” Harry repeats. “You said your mate was a big fan, if you give me your email I could get you guys tickets for tour or a copy of our next album or something.”

“No, really, you don’t have to do that. You’ve already done so much for me today, I really owe _you_ something,” Liam protests, confused as to why Harry Styles has any interest in even talking to him, much less offering to give him free tickets to a tour that sold out months ago.

“It’s really no problem. Plus, who said it was for you? Maybe I just want to spend more time in the presence of the lovely Madeline,” Harry replies, giving Maddy a wink and a smile as he finishes. Maddy giggles and then turns to Liam.

“Come on, Daddy! Harry’s so nice, can we please see him again?” she pleads. Liam feels a tug on his hand and comes face-to-face with Beth’s pout, something that could possibly compel Liam to rob a bank if she really, _really wanted it, Daddy_.

“Please, Daddy? Maddy got to play with Harry and I didn’t!” she sounds as if nothing could offend her more than the prospect of her sister having more playtime with a world-famous rockstar.

He looks back to Harry, whose eyes are dancing with humor and something else that Liam is struggling to decipher before a phone is shoved unceremoniously in his face. “Yeah, _please_?” Harry asks, wiggling the phone around and smirking again.

Liam rolls his eyes and glances back down to his daughters, who are giving him their best puppy dog eyes, and he has never built up a resistance to those looks, so he sighs and takes the phone from Harry, smiling as cheer goes up from the other three. He shakes his head a little and hands the phone back to Harry. “Happy now?”

“Very,” Harry replies as he breaks out into a huge smile, dimples on full display. Liam may go a bit lightheaded. “I’d better get going, but I’ll see you around, and it was very nice to meet you all.” And before Liam can get anything more than a short “bye” out, Harry is gone, just as suddenly as he entered their lives.

 _Well_ , Liam thinks, _that was interesting_.

 

*

 

“And you did _what_?!” Liam has to move the phone away from his ear a little to avoid going deaf from the force of Louis’ disbelief.

“Gave him my email.” Liam repeats, finally settling into the couch after a hectic evening following the similarly busy day at the park. Beth and Maddy were all hyped up after all the excitement earlier in the day, and it took three extra stories before they were finally settled enough to go to sleep; Liam spent an extra ten minutes eavesdropping at their door to make sure they weren’t still whispering and gossiping from their beds. And Lily was apparently upset she wasn’t the focal point she usually is, and decided to show her discontent by vomiting her dinner up all over the kitchen. Liam’s pretty sure he’s still got mushy peas on him somewhere, and he had only just finished cleaning the residual mess when Louis called.

“You met a famous rockstar in the flesh and you gave him your _email_? Have I taught you nothing, Payno? Why didn’t you take him home?”

“Take him home?” Liam rolls his eyes. “I was with the girls!”

“Fine, you prude. You should’ve called me. Given him _my_ number. I could’ve taken him off your hands.”

“Oh yeah? And what exactly would your boyfriend have to say about that?”

“Hm,” Louis hums as if he was actually considering the answer to the question. Sometimes Liam doesn’t know why he even humors Louis when he gets like this. “I don’t think Nick would mind. Oh, actually, do you think Styles would be up for a threesome?”

Actually, Liam always wonders why he humors Louis.

“Okay, gross, and I’m hanging up now.”

“No! No, come on, Payno, I’m just fucking around. Lighten up. I just feel like a relationship could be good for you.”

Liam sighs. Ever since Louis got his head out of his arse and realized that his hatred of Nick Grimshaw was actually a cover for his big huge crush, he’s felt like he’s some sort of relationship guru who can constantly judge Liam’s love life.  “That’s really sweet, Lou, but I’m not looking for anything like that. I’ve got the girls, and you know it’s been rough since Steph left--”

“Fuck off,” Louis interrupts sharply. “The divorce went through half a year ago, and you and I both know she was checked out way before that. You’ve had time, Li, and the girls are growing up. Just, if this guy emails you, maybe think about it?”

“Yeah, fine. He’s not going to though. Why would he want to email me, much less date me?”

“Liam, you are my best friend and I love you, but sometimes you are the thickest person I know. Look in a mirror. You’re super fit, of course he would want to shag you! Listen, I’ll get a second opinion,” There’s some shuffling before call’s sound changes, and Liam knows he’s been put on speaker. “Nick, babe, tell Liam he’s fit and Harry Styles would be lucky to date him.”

“Liam’s dating Harry Styles?” Liam hears Nick’s voice, sounding shocked. “When did this happen?”

“It’s not--”

“When Liam met him in the park and Harry Styles asked him for his _email_ ,” Louis says over Liam’s protests and somehow makes giving his email out sound like a weird euphemism for public sex in a park on a Sunday.

“Ooh, his _email_. Scandalous. What’s next, a homing pigeon in order to keep in touch?”

“Shut up, Nick,” Louis says, but Liam can hear the fondness in his voice. Their relationship barely makes sense to him, but they’re cute, and sometimes, _sometimes_ , late at night when the girls are asleep and he’s alone in his too-big bed, he allows himself to feel jealous of what they have, the easy banter and obvious love. “Get back to the point. We’re talking about how fit Liam is.”

“Yes, of course. Liam, you are so extremely fit that Harry Styles would have to be blind, deaf, and mute not to see it. In fact, were I not taken by your lovely best friend I would try to pull you myself,” Nick obliges, and Liam can hear the kiss Louis gives him for listening to him.

“Okay, as flattering and somewhat creepy as this whole conversation is, it’s all a waste anyway because nothing will come of it. If he does email, it’ll be his assistant trying to send me a free copy of his album or something. Either way, I’m knackered, and the girls will have me up at the crack of dawn tomorrow. I’m going to bed.”

“Goodnight, Liam! Remember what I said, you need a good shag! We love you!” Louis calls out before Liam hangs up, putting his phone down and heading to bed for the night.

That night, he dreams of shining green eyes and a sunny smile.

 

*

 

Mornings in the Payne household are a three-ring circus in which Liam plays the desperate ringleader. It wasn’t so bad when the girls were younger and when Steph was still around, but now that Maddy’s started her first year of primary and Beth at nursery three days a week, Liam’s often left to scramble around every morning. He has to wake the girls up, attempt to feed them a nutritious breakfast, then get the older two off to school before taking Lily over to Mrs. Elliot’s across the hall and rushing to make it to work in time for his morning shift at the auto shop.

Liam started working at Paul’s when he was just 20, dropping out of uni when Steph got pregnant and trying to provide for her and their growing family. He was still the youngest employee by about 15 years, but all the guys there had soft spots for him and the girls; Paul always understood when Liam had to call out if the girls were sick, and often gave him afternoons off so he could pick them up from school. It wasn’t exactly the dream he had when he first moved to London (to study music production at uni so he could become the next Pharrell), but it was his reality, and he enjoyed it.

Liam basically operated mornings balanced on a knife’s edge, a shaky equilibrium that could fall at any time. And he knew as soon as he woke up that Monday morning that the balance had already been ruptured.

He hadn’t slept well, haunted by Louis’ last words on the phone last night and the thought of Harry Styles having his email, and he slept past his alarm, waking up fifteen minutes late to Beth shaking him awake asking about brekkie. He shoots up immediately with a curse, and Maddy calls from the hallway that he needs to put a pound in the swear jar. He picks Beth up, rushing to make sure they can get out the door on time, only to step on one of the girls’ toys as he gets out of bed, wrenching his ankle painfully.

By the time he's burnt the bacon for breakfast, accidentally pulled Maddy’s hair too tight when giving her pigtails, and mixed up Beth’s outfit twice, Liam’s through.

“All right,” he says. “That’s it. Everyone back in pyjamas. Sick day today.”

“But Daddy, I feel fine,” Beth protests. “And you always say it's not good to lie.”

“You're right, honey. But wouldn't you like to stay in and watch movies with Daddy and your sisters? You'll go back to nursery tomorrow and see your friends, okay?” Liam bargains, hoping for once that his kids will actually do the _wrong_ thing and agree.

“Um, okay!” Beth says, grabbing Maddy’s hand so they can run back to their room, already chattering about which movie they should watch first.

Liam sighs in relief, picking up Lily and heading towards the couch, knowing the older girls will be rushing back in soon, most likely asking to watch Princess Tiana and have him do the silly voices.

He situates Lily on his lap with her favorite toy, a soft dragon that Louis got her the day she came home from hospital, and grabs his mobile to send a quick text to Paul that he won't make it to the shop today. He hates to do things like this, but he's only human. Everyone needs a day off sometime.

As he's finishing the text, he notices the email notification at the top left of his screen. He tries not to get his hopes up that it might be Harry, knowing that it's most likely Louis or Nick trying to fuck with him after their conversation last night. But when he opens it, it's not from any address he recognizes.

_Liam,_

_It was great to meet you and the girls yesterday. I've passed on your information to my assistant, and he will be contacting you soon about tickets for one of our London shows._

_All the love,_

_H._

Liam sighs, angry at himself for letting Louis into his head and thinking that Harry would actually use his email for anything other than business. He's about to tell Louis just that when he notices something at the bottom of the screen, under the signature. A phone number followed by two small _x_ ’s. _Harry’s_ phone number followed by two kisses.

Liam doesn't know how long he stares at that line before the girls interrupt his thoughts, asking if they can start the movie.

 

*

 

Liam's still thinking about the number three hours later, as he's making lunch for the girls. He can hear them in the next room, playing some complicated imaginary game that he can't begin to comprehend.

He quickly grabs his phone and texts Louis for advice.

 ******_harrys sent me his # wat do i doooo_ **

******_get in, payno!!!!!!_ **

Is the only response he receives, followed by a series of emojis that Liam interprets as something sexual based on the volume of eggplants present. Realizing that is a useless path, he decides to bite the bullet.

**_heyyyy mate it's liam_ **

He sends to Harry before grabbing the sandwiches and hastily making his way back into the family room. Maybe he can distract himself with The Lion King and avoid dying from embarrassment. He feels like he's bloody 15 again, texting the pretty girl from his maths class and spending hours thinking of witty responses.

 _It’s not like that_ , he forces himself to think. _You're just mates. He's not interested_.

It does nothing to quell the butterflies in his stomach and he shakes his head at himself. He grabs Lily out of her playpen and swings her up in the air, bringing her down and blowing raspberries on her stomach. She laughs wildly and immediately Maddy and Beth are dancing around his feet, asking for their turns.

Really, he doesn't need anything other than this.

 

*

 

Later, as the girls are dozing off during the movie and Liam's not doing a much better job at staying awake, he checks his phone again, surprised when he has a new message notification.

The butterflies he had tried so hard to fight off earlier come back with a vengeance. He sits up, careful not to dislodge Beth where she's asleep against his shoulder, and opens the text.

**_Liam! Hey mate, I'm really glad you texted._ **

Of course Harry Styles texts with perfect punctuation, when Liam considers it a success when he only misspells one word in a message.

As he's still considering a response a new message pops up.

**_Been an exciting day at the Payne house?_ **

**_hahaa not exacly been watching disney all day loool_ **

Liam responds, complete with the monkey emoji covering his eyes. He hopes Harry isn't one of those hipsters that hates emojis or something. That would probably put a damper on any relationship.

**_I'm jealous! Been forever since a good Disney marathon._ **

If this were Louis or any of his other friends, Liam would have just invited them over, but that seems a little forward and he doesn't want to give the wrong impression. He bites his lip, thinking of what to respond when Beth stirs next to him.

“Daddy?”

“Hi, baby,” he responds, eyes still on his phone.

“Who's on the phone?” she asks, always curious.

“Hm? Oh, it's Harry, you know, from the park yesterday.”

She gasps, “ _Really_? Tell him I say hi, please please please. And that he has to play with me because he played with Maddy yesterday and that's not _fair_.” She ends on a monumental pout, and Liam can't help the surprised laugh that comes out of his mouth.

“Okay, okay,” he says, already typing.

**_beth jus woke up she says hiii also she's mad that u played with maddy yesterday not her haha_ **

**_Hi Beth!! Tell her I'm sorry but we'll have to play another day!_ **

When Liam relays this message the smile on Beth's face could light up a whole city.

**_u better b serious mate she's not gonna let this go_ **

**_I don't make it a habit to break my promises, Liam._ **

Liam's not sure how to respond to that, the conversation suddenly turned serious from a light banter. He's saved before he can try to formulate a response by the other two girls waking and demanding his attention. He mostly forgets the conversation in the ensuing chaos, and by the time he thinks to respond it's after the girls are asleep, and he thinks it's too late to text back. He'll do it tomorrow, probably.

 

*

 

The next morning, luckily, goes better than Monday, and he's able to actually get the girls to school and himself to work on time. Harry's texts and promise are at the back of his mind all day, sitting heavily. He can't decide if they were real, if Harry actually wanted to spend time with Liam and his daughters, or if Harry was just being nice. He finds himself spending his lunch break googling interviews with Harry, trying to see if there's any indication that he would lie about this.

When his lunch break is over, he's watched five “Harry Styles With Babies” compilations on YouTube. This may be a problem.

 

*

 

The bigger problem is Beth. When they get back from nursery, it's clear the three year old has not forgotten the promise Harry made her. It’s all she talks about, and she's got Maddy and Lily involved as they figure out exactly what games they're going to play with him. Well, Maddy and Beth figure it out while Lily sits and chews on the ears of her dragon, but occasionally they'll take her gurgles as input to which toy Harry would prefer when he comes over.

That's the thing: they keep saying _when_ , like Harry coming to their flat is inevitable. It's almost comical, imagining a rock star in his tiny flat, but it's also worrying.

The one thing Liam cannot stand to do is disappoint his daughters. They've been through so much at a really young age, and he just wants to give them the world. He knows he spoils them, but he can't help it. He just can't stand to see their sad little faces, not when they deserve to be smiling all the time. So when he sees their hopes getting up about Harry coming over, he has to intervene.

“Okay, girls, let's not get too excited. We don't even know if Harry's coming over,” he says, interrupting an important debate over whether they should play princesses or ponies first.

“But Daddy, didn't he promise?” Maddy asks, her little brow furrowing in confusion.

“Well, I guess, but he's really busy, and I'm not sure if he has time to come and play with you,” Liam tries to reason with her, but he's already crumbling under her pout. He glances at Beth, and is stricken when it looks like she's about to burst into tears.

He sighs, already shaking his head at his weakness towards the girls, before he takes out his phone. “Alright, I’ll text him, but if he says no you have to promise to be big girls about this, okay? He’s busy a lot, I don’t know if he can drop everything to come over.”

The girls nod, already perking up and Liam can already tell that if this goes badly there will be no big girls in the house.

 **_hey mate_ ** **,** he texts, **_so the girls r wondering when ur coming over? not that u have 2!! theyre just excited u kno its ok if u cant_ **

He gets a text back almost immediately.

**_Of course I’m coming! I told you I would. How’s Saturday?_ **

Liam reads this out to the girls and gets two loud squeals in response. Even Lily, always one to follow her older sisters, throws her arms in the air and releases a happy yell.

**_yeah mate that works for us the girls are soooooo ready_ **

Looking down at the girls who are still chattering excitedly about their plans for Harry, Liam smiles.

Saturday can't come fast enough.

 

*

 

When Saturday finally rolls around, Liam has spent the past three days fielding questions about when Harry's coming over and what they're going to do with him when he comes.

It’s no different on the actual day, when he's woken up at half eight by Maddy and Beth jumping on his bed yelling about Harry coming over.

He sends them off to get dressed while he goes into Lily’s room to wake her up. This is one of the best parts of Liam’s day, spending a quiet moment with his youngest daughter. He feels guilty, sometimes, like he isn’t able to spend time with her like he wants. But watching her wake up and reach for him immediately, babbling at him in her nonsense language, makes it all worth it.

“Good morning, Lily blossom,” he coos, lifting her out of her crib and towards the changing table. “Are you ready to meet Harry today? Your sisters are very excited.”

Lily makes more almost-words that Liam interprets as “yes daddy I’m very excited as well.”

Liam smiles, finishes changing her nappy and getting her dressed in his favorite onesie on her, the one Ruth bought him that says “My Dad is Batman” on the front. It’s cheesy, yes, but Liam loves it.

When he and Lily find the other girls, they’re already dressed and sitting waiting on the couch. They jump up to meet him, talking over each other.

“Daddy, can we have pancakes for brekkie? Please?” Beth asks.

“ _No_ , I want cereal!” Maddy protests, glaring at her sister.

Liam sighs and spares a quick hope that they'll behave better when Harry shows up.

“Alright, how about beans on toast then?” he asks, and their groans follow him into the kitchen. He grins. Sometimes that sound is music to his ears.

 

*

 

Harry shows up shortly after lunch. Liam opens the door to find him standing there in more casual clothes than the last time they met, a white t-shirt (sheer enough that Liam can clearly see the tattoos on his chest) and the same black jeans (tight tight _tight_ ) and a beanie covering his signature curls. He smiles when Liam opens the door, and Liam is left slightly breathless for a moment.

He really needs to get over this whole _acting like a twelve year old girl_ thing when faced with the sight of Harry Styles’ dimples.

“Hey mate, uh, welcome! The girls are--” Liam’s cut off by the sound of Maddy’s voice calling down the hallway.

“Daddy, is Harry here?” The excitement is clear in her voice, and Harry laughs a little, finally stepping into the flat and letting Liam close the door behind him.

“Yes, honey!” Liam calls back, listening to the squeals he gets in response with a smile on his face. He turns back to address Harry. “Come on, they’re through here. They’ve been waiting all week for this. You’ve totally replaced me as the cool adult.”

Harry laughs, following Liam down the hall towards the family room where the girls’ voices can be heard clearly. “I doubt that, I’ve only met them twice and you’re here all the time.”

“That’s exactly why they like you better, mate. You’re, you know, a mystery,” Liam responds.

Harry chuckles quietly. “Well, that’s what all the papers say about me, right?”

Before Liam can reply, once again caught off-guard by Harry’s seriousness, how he can throw in a dark, self-deprecating comment like that in a conversation with a near-stranger, they reach the living room, and the girls jump up to greet them. Harry’s serious face is replaced quickly by a huge grin as he says hello to Maddy and tells Beth how glad he is to meet her. Liam is struck by how comfortably Harry settles into interaction with his daughters, already asking about their toys and what they want to do today.

“Daddy!” Liam is brought out of his trance by Maddy’s voice. “Can you wake up Lily? Harry hasn’t met her yet!” She looks hopeful, and behind her Liam can see the emotion mirrored on Harry’s own face.

“Uh, sure,” he checks his watch. “Yeah, she’ll be waking up soon anyway. You’ll all be okay here while I get her?” he directs the last question at Harry, who nods before turning to Beth and asking about the doll she’s holding.

Liam goes to wake Lily, and by the time he comes back after changing her diaper and grabbing her favorite toy, it’s clear that Beth and Maddy had been completely won over by Harry, both hanging off his every word as he tells some story. Harry looks up when Liam enters and his face lights up at the sight of Lily.

“Oh, who’s this? How’re you doing today, Miss Lily?” he says, putting on a ridiculous baby voice and pulling silly faces. Lily giggles and reaches out for Harry, already babbling at him. Harry looks like this is the biggest honour he’s ever received, which is ridiculous since he has a) most definitely held babies before and b) won a bloody Brit Award. Liam doesn’t understand him at all.

“Harry, Harry! We’re going to play princesses! I’m Belle,” Maddy interjects.

“And I’m Ariel!” Beth finishes.

“But when I play princesses, usually _I’m_ Ariel,” Harry complains, sounding more like another five year old as opposed to his actual 24 years. “See, I even got her on my arm!” He points to a tattoo on his forearm, and Liam snorts, covering his mouth with his hand when Harry shoots him a scandalized look.

“I think Ariel was a bit more covered up, mate,” he says, gesturing to the mermaid, whose breasts and bush are on full display. Harry shrugs, sending Liam a sheepish smile. “Plus, with that hair, don’t you think Harry would make a perfect Rapunzel, girls?” he directs this at his daughters, who immediately nod, excited.

“Yeah! And then Daddy can be Flynn Rider,” Maddy says, Beth nodding beside her.

“Hold on, isn’t he going to be a princess?” Harry asks.

“ _No_ , Daddy’s always the prince!” Beth says, like it’s obvious, which, Liam guesses, to her it is.

“Oh,” Harry says, looking at Liam. “My mistake.” He stares for a few moments longer, and Liam can feel his face heating up in a blush as Harry looks at him, wondering what he sees. Then Harry turns back to the girls, and the moment is broken.

 

*

 

The little masters of manipulation they are, Maddy and Beth manage to convince Harry to stay for dinner, which is how Liam ends up making spaghetti with a rock star chopping veg next to him.

“Thanks for everything today,” Liam says, stirring the sauce as it bubbles in the pot. “You really didn’t have to do any of this, it’s so nice of you.”

Harry shrugs. “It’s no problem, really. I love kids, and the girls are great. Plus it’s nice talking to you, even if I still don’t know much about you.”

“Oh!” Liam says, laughing a little. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s weird, I guess since I know some stuff about you I feel like you know the same about me. Sorry.” He shrugs, sheepish.

“It’s fine, it happens a lot. So, what do you do?” Harry’s eyes are trained on the lettuce he’s chopping for salad, and Liam thinks for a second that maybe he somehow offended Harry, but then Harry looks up and smiles, and Liam thinks he’s just reading too much into this.

“Um, I’m a mechanic. At the auto shop down the road. It’s not much, but I dropped out of uni when Maddy came along, so...” Liam trails off, not knowing what else to say and caught off guard by how Harry is staring at him.

“No,” Harry's voice comes out rough, and he clears his throat before starting again. “No, that's really cool, actually. I mean, I didn't graduate either. Didn't even _go_ to uni, so you're ahead of me there.”

“Well,” Liam laughs. “At least that's one thing. Done more uni than a rockstar.” He takes the pot off the stove and starts to set up the plates for dinner, calling the girls in from the other room. When he turns back to Harry to see if he’s got the salad ready, Harry is looking back at him with a small frown on his face.

“What?” Liam asks, bringing his hand up to his face, suddenly self-conscious. “Have I got something on my face?”

Harry shakes his head. “No, you’re good. Just got lost in thought, yeah?” He smiles then, but Liam doesn’t think it quite reaches his eyes.

“Um, sure. Come on, we should go make sure they haven’t trashed the apartment while we were cooking,” Liam says, leading the way out of the kitchen and towards the dining table. “I love them, but they’re little troublemakers.”

Harry laughs, past whatever weird moment went down in the kitchen. “Impossible. They’re wonderful, like tiny angels.”

It’s Liam’s turn to laugh. “Uh-huh. Spend more than an afternoon with them, you’ll change your mind.”

Harry hums. “Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer,” he says, before putting the salad on the table and going to the other room to round up the girls. When he returns, holding Lily and trailed by the older two, Liam is still standing in the same spot, stunned by the quiet confidence Harry exudes at all times, even as he’s essentially inviting himself into Liam’s home.

“Daddy,” Beth’s voice comes from his side, and he shakes himself out of his stupor. He really needs to get a handle on this; Harry’s just being nice. Because of the girls. Who need Liam to be paying attention to them, not mooning over some bloody celebrity. “Can we eat the spaghetti now?” She pronounces it like “pasketti.” Liam lifts her up and gives her a kiss on the cheek before putting her on her seat.

“Of course, darling. Now let’s show Harry how big girls eat their spaghetti, alright?” Both Maddy and Beth nod their head seriously, while Lily smacks her hands against her high chair. Liam smiles, shares a look with Harry (who is looking suitably impressed), and hopes for the best.

 

*

 

It’s a total mess.

Liam isn’t too surprised, since he lives with three children under 5 all the time, but Harry looks slightly horrified as he surveys the scene after dinner.

“Still think they’re angels?” Liam asks, lifting Lily out of her high chair while attempting to avoid getting any more sauce on himself--there’s already splatters from when the girls and Harry decided to attempt a slurping contest.

“Uhhh,” Harry says, inspecting a splatter that somehow reached the far wall. “Maybe more like tricky little pixies, something like that. You need to go wash them up and put them to bed, right? I’ll start the cleanup here, you go ahead and do that.”

Liam makes to protest, can hear his mother’s voice in his head scolding him for being a terrible host, but Harry cuts him off. “I’m serious. You’ll be up all night cleaning this, and my mum raised me better than that. Go on, shoo,” he motions with his hands for Liam to leave, which just makes Lily giggle madly.

“Alright, fine,” he sighs, following Harry’s instructions and tickling Lily’s belly. “It’s time for your bathtime, huh, darling?”

He takes Lily towards the bathroom, stopping by the living room to tell Maddy and Beth to start getting ready for bed. Though Lily is initially excited in the bath, splashing around and playing with the floaty toys, by the end of it the warm water has calmed her down. Liam puts her in a fresh nappy and onesie before rocking her around the room, humming softly, before she drops off to sleep. He makes sure the baby monitor is on before slipping out of the room and heading towards the older girls’.

He can vaguely hear Harry moving about the kitchen, running the tap and putting things away, but he tries not to focus on it. He enters Maddy and Beth’s room to see them both in their pajamas, curled together on Beth’s bed, waiting for him.

“Alright girls, ready for lights out? Teeth brushed?” he asks, going to the wall and turning on the night light. He’s met with a chorus of “yes daddy” from the bed and he smiles. “Okay then, do you want a story?”

“Can you sing tonight, Daddy?” Beth asks, already sounding sleepy. “Uncle Louis’ song.”

“Um, alright,” he agrees, climbing onto the bed in between them and letting them get comfortable against his chest. Uncle Louis’ song is actually a Black Coast song, and he tries not to feel too weird about singing it when Harry’s cleaning their dining room. “Everyone comfortable?”

When he gets two nods in response, he launches into the song, singing quietly and soothingly. He gets through most of the song before he realizes both girls are asleep, and he carefully gets out of the bed, lifting Maddy and tucking her into her own bed. He kisses each of them on the forehead before turning to the door, where Harry is standing.

Liam startles, jumping a bit and bringing his hand to his chest. Harry smiles and brings his finger to his lips, his eyes teasing. Liam rolls his eyes and head to the hall, turning out the light and softly closing the door behind him.

“So, um, how much of that did you see?” Liam asks, walking back towards the kitchen and trying to hide his red face from Harry.

“You’ve a lovely voice, Liam. I didn’t know you could sing. And I didn’t think you knew much of our music, especially that one. Not exactly a radio hit, ‘I Want to Write You a Song,’” Harry replies, and Liam groans, burying his face in his hands. Of _course_ Harry heard that whole thing. Liam can never catch a break and now Harry probably thinks he’s some sort of crazed super fan.

“Ugh, yeah, Louis, my best mate--the one who’s a big fan of yours, yeah?--he moved in for a little bit after, um, after their mum left, to help out. And Lily was only just two months old, right? And _nothing_ could get her to go to sleep, I swear, none of us slept for about two weeks. It was horrid. So one night Louis tried everything and he was just exhausted so his last idea was to sing that song to her, and like, boom,” Liam pauses and snaps his fingers. “Out like a light. It was the only thing that worked. The other girls caught on pretty quick, so it’s been pretty standard around here. Sorry if that’s like, weird, or something.”

“No, of course not! That’s like, what I want to do with my music, right? Like, the awards and all, that’s cool, but I really just want it to have an effect on people, so that they can really connect to it, you know? So you telling me that is kind of the best thing I’ve heard all week,” Harry smiles, grin so wide it splits his face, and it’s a bit like looking into the sun. It almost hurts to look at, but at the same time Liam can’t quite look away.

“By the way,” Harry continues. “I’d quite like to meet this Louis, since he seems to be doing so much promo for us among the young people.”

“Oh, well, he’s probably coming to the concert in January,” Liam replies. He’s been in contact with Harry’s assistant, and he’s picked a Friday night show at the O2 for him, Louis, Grimmy, and the girls to attend. “Actually, he’s _definitely_ coming. He would have my head if he didn’t go, especially with the seats we’ve got. Thanks again for that, by the way, he's gonna die when I tell him.”

“You haven't told him? Like, that you've met me?” Harry asks, and his face has turned guarded, a shift from the smile he had minutes earlier.

“No, no, he knows about that,” Liam tries not to blush as he remembers the conversation he had with Louis the night he met Harry. “It’s just, his birthday is in December so I was going to tell him then, if I can keep it a secret that long.” He laughs a little, rubbing a hand through his hair.

“Ah, well, I have faith in you, Liam,” Harry says, shooting Liam a small smile. “Anyway, I should probably get going. I’ve overstayed my welcome enough.”

“Oh! Um, sorry if we’ve been keeping you from something, I know you must be really busy and all,” Liam replies, starting to head for the front door.

“Not really,” Harry chuckles. “We’re on break now, you know, until the tour starts up again, so I’ve got, like, heaps of free time.”

“Well, you didn’t have to spend it with us. Thanks, really, mate,” Liam says, standing awkwardly by the door as Harry puts on his shoes and jacket.

“Seriously, Liam, stop thanking me. It’s not a big deal. I had fun,” Harry insists, double-checking his pockets for his phone and wallet. When he finishes, he looks at Liam, and the two stand in silence for a couple minutes before Harry breathes out a small laugh. “Okay, going for real this time,” he says, sticking his hand out and pulling Liam into a short hug when their hands clasp, patting him on the back a few times. Liam’s had his fair share of bro-hugs, but usually he doesn’t pay so much attention to how the other guy smells (marinara sauce and aftershave and something natural underneath it all) or what his hand feels like in Liam’s (large and warm and a bit rough with callouses), and Liam certainly doesn’t usually wish they would last longer than the standard thirty seconds.

Harry is the exception, as he seems to be to every rule Liam has.

 

*

 

Life goes on as normal for a while, and Liam tries to file Harry’s visit away as a small blip on his day-to-day radar. The girls ask about him a couple times, but by this point Liam has become a master of shifting his daughters’ attention to less complicated subjects. It’s simple really, usually just a quick question about what happened at school that day or a promise of some sweets later on, and after a few days the girls stop wondering about when Harry will come back next.

Liam hasn’t texted him, even though Louis has told him he should (his exact words were _Payno, you need to get laid, see if Styles is up for a blowie_ ), but Harry hasn’t texted either, which is excuse enough for Liam to pretend like none of it ever happened. Sure, maybe sometimes he stares at their text conversation on his phone or types in a new message that says “ **_whats up maate_ ** ” or “ **_how r uuuu???_ ** ” but he always deletes it before he hits send. Harry hasn’t texted him, it was obviously a one-time thing, Liam needs to move on. Maybe Louis is right about finding someone to shag. It’s been longer than Liam would like to admit, if he’s starting to obsess over some bloke he met a grand total of two times.

So, really, Liam’s fine. He’s going about his life as normally as he can as a single dad with three kids under five. Which is to say, he’s on the verge of a breakdown 85 percent of the time, and the other 15 percent he’s sleeping.

It’s a Wednesday, and Liam’s just got the girls home from school, nursery, and Mrs. Elliot’s, respectively, and he decides it’s time for a workout. He doesn’t really have the spare time (or money) to go to an actual gym, and occasionally he can manage enough time for a run through the park, but most of his exercise comes through whatever he can manage in his living room with the girls. He’s just changed into some gym shorts and a vest when someone starts pounding at the door. He rolls his eyes, sure that Louis has forgotten his spare key at home again and come over to steal Liam’s food and play with the girls.

So when he opens his door, smart quip already on his lips, he’s shocked to see none other than Harry Styles standing on his doorstep.

“Oh, um, I mean, hi?” he stutters, and he doesn’t mean it to come out as a question, but his voice lilts up at the end anyway.

“Hey, Liam. Listen, I’m really really sorry about this, but I was in the neighborhood and I was just trying to go to this one place, it’s kind of like a bakery-slash-coffee-shop but they also sell books and records there? It’s cool actually, they always have really unique selections because they get customers to donate, you should check it out, but anyway, some girls recognized me, I guess. And put it up on Twitter or something, because all of a sudden I was being mobbed and I didn’t have any security with me, so I was just looking for somewhere to go and like, hide out, for a bit while I wait for a car to come round and get me, and I remembered that you lived in the area, so, like, can I stay? Just for a bit?” Harry finishes, and it’s absolutely amazing that Harry can take an interesting story like being mobbed by crazed fans and turn it into one of the most boring tales Liam has ever heard. It’s like a special skill or something, Harry should have it on his resume. Liam stands silent for a minute, trying to process what the point of the story was, before he gets it.

“Yeah! Yeah, of course, mate, come on in. We’re not really doing anything, I was just about to work out for a bit,” Liam says, stepping back from the door and walking down the hall, hearing Harry trail around behind him.

“Oh! Did you want me to watch the girls while you did that? Give you some alone time?” he wiggles his eyebrows ridiculously at the end, and Liam can’t help but let out a small laugh.

“Uh, well, actually, the girls kind of, like, help? It’s hard to explain, but--” Liam’s cut off by Maddy running down the hall towards him and Harry.

“Daddy, Daddy, who was at the door?” she asks, and when Liam steps back to reveal Harry, she squeals. “Harry! Did you come to work out with us?”

“Hiya, squirt. I’m not really dressed for a workout, am I?” he asks, gesturing to his clothes, the standard skinny jeans and flowy shirt that Liam is starting to recognize as a uniquely _Harry_ look. “Maybe next time, huh?”

“Okay!” Maddy doesn’t seem too bothered by Harry’s lack of participation, and she turns back to Liam. “I wanna go for a ride first.”

“What do you say?” Liam responds, trying to look like a responsible parent who doesn’t cave to all of his daughters’ wishes. He’s not sure how well he succeeds, judging by the unimpressed look on Maddy’s face and the amused one on Harry’s.

Maddy sighs. “Please?” she asks, and she sounds completely exasperated by the whole deal. Liam nods and lifts her up, grumbling about how she’s not supposed to talk back to him for another ten years at least. He motions his head for Harry to follow them and he heads towards his room, where he’s attached a pull-up bar to the doorway. Beth is already standing underneath it, Lily lying on her plush blanket not far away. Harry makes a beeline for Lily’s blanket, scooping her up from where she was rolling around and pressing kisses all along her cheeks.

“Hello, beautiful,” he coos, settling her in his arms. “And hello to you, too, Beth.” He adds as Beth wraps herself around his legs and immediately starts catching him up on everything that has happened since she last saw him. It’s been almost three weeks since then, though, and Beth has a three-year-old’s way of telling stories, so Liam nips that hour-long conversation in the bud.

“Okay, Beth,” he says, clapping his hands together and getting her attention. “Maddy’s gonna go for a ride first, then it’s your turn, alright?” Beth pouts a little at that, but gets over it quickly as Harry sits on the blanket and she curls next to him.

“C’mon, Liam, I want to see what you’ve got,” Harry smirks, raising an eyebrow as he settles with Lily and Beth, and, well, Liam has spent too long being best friends with Louis Tomlinson to ever turn down such a blatant challenge. He lifts himself up onto the pull-up bar, making sure his grip is solid, before crossing his ankles, leaving a bit of space between his calves.

“Okay, Maddy,” he says, and Maddy cheers, climbing in between his legs and calling out a _ready, Daddy_ , when she’s secure. “Ready to count?” he asks, and when Maddy nods he starts doing his pull-ups, swinging his legs back and forth as he goes. Maddy starts laughing wildly, only pausing to shout out a number when Liam completes a rep. After ten, he lets Maddy back down to the ground and Beth starts her turn. The girls insist on going twice, so Liam does 40 reps and is covered in a layer of sweat by the time he drops back down to the floor. He mops his brow with the bottom of his shirt before turning to Harry, who hasn’t made a sound for the entirety of Liam’s workout.

When Liam meets Harry’s eyes, they’re wide and dark, and he licks his lips a couple times before speaking. “Is that all?” he asks, and Liam thinks there might be a hint of disappointment in his tone, but he’s not sure.

“No!” Maddy answers for him. “Now Daddy does press-ups and we get to sit on his back like we’re playing horsey!”

“Um,” Liam interrupts, feeling a flush crawl up his neck. He hopes it passes off as exertion from his exercise, but Harry’s eyes are a little too bright for him to be sure. “I think we can skip that for today, girls. Don’t you want to go play with Harry while he’s here?”

“Yeah, um, I’ll have to take a raincheck on that one, actually. There’s a car here to pick me up? To get away from the fans, and all,” Harry says, ducking his head sheepishly under the onslaught of pouting from the girls. He stands and passes Lily over to Liam, kissing her head softly, before leaning down and untangling Maddy and Beth from his legs. “I’ll see you all later, yeah?” he addresses the girls, but he’s looking straight at Liam when he says it. Liam nods slowly, and just like that, Harry breezes out of the apartment, leaving all the Paynes confused and dumbfounded in his wake.

Finally, after a few minutes, Maddy turns up to Liam and says, “Harry’s funny, isn’t he?” And Liam has to laugh and agree.

 

*

 

A few nights after the unexpected house call from one Harry Styles, Louis and Nick come over for their weekly dinner. It’s a tradition left over from uni, when Liam and Louis lived together and made it a point to eat at least one non-takeaway, sit-down meal a week. It’s evolved since then, what with Liam dropping out and the girls and, more recently, the addition of Nick and the loss of Steph. But still, without fail, the two get together at one of their apartments every week and cook a meal together.

They’re in the kitchen cooking--well, Liam is cooking, Louis is sat on the counter with a beer in his hand--as Nick stomps around in the living room, playing with the girls, when Louis brings it up.

“So,” he starts, in a tone of voice that never bodes well coming from Louis’ mouth. “How’s it going with that Harold of yours?”

Liam tries not to blush, but he can feel the way his face heats without his permission.

“Oh my god!” Louis exclaims, never one to miss anything especially if it’s an opportunity for teasing. “You’ve shagged him, haven't you? Nice work, Payno, I mean, I can't believe you didn't tell me sooner, since I am your best mate and all--”

“I didn't shag him, Lou,” Liam interrupts before it gets too out of hand and Louis is calling up all their mates to discuss Liam’s fictional sex life with a rockstar. “He came over that first time, like I told you, then he popped by a few days ago because he was being mobbed by fans and needed somewhere to hide out for a bit.”

“Oh, he's using you as a secret hideout. Very James Bond, that's sexy,” Louis replies.

Liam laughs. “Yeah, right. He just sat around while I did my workout with the girls and then left because his car was here.”

Louis stares at him. “The workout where you do the pull ups? He watched that?” he asks, and when Liam nods he bursts into laughter, almost falling off his perch on the counter.

Liam looks at him, confused. It’s been awhile since Louis’ kept him out of a joke, finding that it's much funnier when there's someone else to laugh with. He refuses to say he's pouting, but he is a little put out, and Louis must pick up on it.

“Come _on_ , Liam. That work out is like porn, I swear!” he breaks off again into little fits of giggles, gasping for breath in between. “And you whipped it out on the second date!”

“First of all, it's not porn-like! And I didn't _whip_ anything _out_ , and it wasn't a date!” Liam's whisper-shouting, careful that the girls hear absolutely none of this conversation. Louis’ still laughing, though, and of course Nick takes this opportunity to enter the room, already smirking as he surveys the current scene. Liam rolls his eyes and throws his hands in the air, gesturing Nick to Louis in a _you deal with this_ motion before turning back to the stove. This only serves to send Louis off into more laughter, now almost silent with hitching breaths in between.

“Well, I thought I left the children in the other room,” Nick says, stepping up into the space between Louis’ legs. Louis drops his head onto Nick’s shoulder, shoulders shaking. “What's gone on in here?”

“Ask your better half, mate,” Liam says.  He turns back to the stove, content to finish cooking dinner and ignore the other two. Louis is now whispering in Nick's ear, and based on the smile growing on his face, Nick is being regaled with the full Liam and Harry story. Liam rolls his eyes again, plating up the food and heading towards the dining room.  
  
"C'mon you wankers, unless you want to starve," he calls back before fetching the girls from the other room. When he gets back to the table, Nick is at least trying to conceal his laughter, and Liam decides he likes him much better.

But then Nick ruins it by smirking and saying, “So, how’s Harry?” which sends the girls into fits at the opportunity to talk about their new favorite subject.

Liam sighs, and makes eye contact with Louis, who is simply smiling innocently.

Liam needs new friends.

 

*

 

The impromptu visit seems to open the floodgates in terms of Harry-Liam interaction. While after the first time they got together there was awkward silence on both sides, now it seems some invisible line has been crossed, and Liam is getting texts from Harry at all times of the day.

Sometimes they're a simple **_Hey, how's it going?_ ** Sometimes Harry tells him some story about the band, as they spend time in the studio writing and recording for the next album. And on one memorable occasion, Liam wakes up to a text at 3:45 in the morning that just says **_Do you think bees can fall in love?_ **

In return, Liam tells Harry stories about the girls or what shenanigans Louis has gotten into or whatever he's watching on telly. Once they had a long discussion about Peppa Pig after Liam had been forced to sit through hours of it while the girls watched raptly. So Liam’s not sure how the lead singer of the band that's currently the face of the indie music scene has become one of his most used contacts, but he's not exactly complaining.

Even as he's pondering this, exhausted on the couch from a long day and an even longer evening ahead, his phone chirps out a text notification.

**_How was your day today? xx_ **

That's the other thing, Harry's always finishing his texts with kisses. Liam figures it's some kind of celebrity thing, a posh way of using emojis.

**_rubbish matee :((((_ **

Liam responds, rubbing his hands against his eyes as he hears a loud crash coming from Maddy and Beth’s room followed by what sounds like a fight breaking out. He sighs and heaves himself off the couch, heading towards the source of the noise.

Here's the thing: Liam’s daughters are amazing and he loves them to bits. And nine times out of ten they are well-behaved and polite and pretty willing to just go with the flow. It’s one of the things Liam has prided himself on as a parent, that it seems that so far he has raised good kids. But sometimes, some days, the girls are short-tempered and whiny and rude and mean to each other. And Liam hates those days. Today is one of those days.

He's not sure what caused it, but they've been cranky and irritable since they woke up. And apparently the day at school only made it worse, since he got reports from both their teachers that they were not their usual, happy, bubbly selves. It's even spread to Lily, since Mrs. Elliot across the hall said she was a right terror to watch today. Add all of that into Liam’s frankly hellish day at work, and it's pretty clear that today God has decided that he hates Liam Payne and wants him to suffer.

He opens the door to the girls room, faced with a complete disaster area. Toys are thrown haphazardly around the room, and Maddy and Beth stand in the middle of it all, the eye of the tiny tornado, with Beth clutching her favorite doll to her chest and screaming at Maddy. Maddy isn't backing down, yelling back and stomping her feet. Liam tries to break it up, stepping in with his calming words that usually gets them to settle down, but before he can do anything Beth drops her doll, steps forward, and pushes Maddy.

It isn't very hard, but Maddy stumbles backwards, tripping on a plastic horse behind her and falling over on her back. She then bursts into tears, and Liam has had enough.

“Elizabeth Karen Payne!” he snaps, and Beth whirls around, tears already forming at the corners of her eyes. “What's the rule?”

“We don't--” she breaks off to sniffle, rubbing at her eye with a small fist. “We don't push or hurt people.”

“Exactly. What are we supposed to do?” he asks, heading over the Maddy to make sure she hasn't sustained any serious injury.

“U-u-use our w-words,” Beth hiccups, her voice hitching from her tears. Maddy's cries have mostly stopped now, they were probably more out of shock than anything else, and there aren't any bruises or cuts when he looks.

“Good. Now what are you going to say to your sister?” Liam asks.

“I'm sorry, Maddy,” Beth mumbles, looking at the ground.

“And Maddy?” he asks, turning to her. She looks indignant.

“I didn't do anything!” she exclaims, which only sets Beth off again, anger overcoming the guilt from Liam’s scolding.

“You took Arabella and she's _mine_ and you wouldn't let me play with her!” Beth yells, and suddenly the fight is back in full swing.

“Okay, that's it!” Liam says, louder and more forceful than he usually is with the girls. “Time out, the both of you, until dinner. Maddy, you get that chair and sit in the corner,” he instructs, gesturing to a small plastic chair. “Beth, you'll stay in the living room. I want you both to think a lot about what you've done and if you can't apologize when it's over then it's straight to bed, no dessert, no telly, and no story time. Come on, let's go.”

The girls immediately look like they want to protest, but after one look at Liam's face, they both slump, defeated. He gets up, watches Maddy stomp over to the chair and sit with her arms crossed over her chest, mutinous look on her face.

“Oh, and after dinner I want you both to clean this room. It better be spotless,” he says, leaving the room with Beth trailing behind. He leaves her sat on a chair in the living room corner, still with silent tears falling down her face, and heads to Lily’s room, where he's faced with her staring mournfully at him from behind the bars of her crib.

“I know, baby,” he says, lifting her up and laying her on the changing table, going for a fresh nappy. “Your sisters were being quite loud, huh?”

She doesn't say anything of course, but Liam thinks the look on her face means she agreed with him. Once he's changed her nappy and it doesn't look like she's going to get too fussy he places her back in her crib and heads into the kitchen, hearing Beth's quiet sniffles from the next room. He sighs, tries not to feel too guilty, and picks up his phone from where he left it on the counter. There's two unread messages waiting for him, both from Harry.

**_Sorry about that, why?_ **

And then:

**_Anything I can do to help? x_ **

Liam sighs again, sinking into a kitchen chair.

**_the girls hav been cranky all day i just had 2 put maddy + beth in time outttt plus work was shit so :((((_ **

He's not exactly sure how to respond to the second message, but ends up deciding on:

**_nuthin really 2 help unless u wanna come cook us dinner lol_ **

He's taken off guard by the immediate response from Harry, which simply says **_Be there in ten xxx_ **. He wasn’t expecting any visitors, the flat’s a mess, and there are currently two crying toddlers in it. He stands and does the only appropriate thing to cope with the situation: grabs a beer out of the fridge.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry is knocking on the door, coming through with a bag laden down with what looks to be vegetables.

“Hi, sorry, I wasn’t sure what you had here so I popped by the shops quickly to grab some stuff. You have a wok, right? I was thinking we could have stir-fry,” Harry says, bustling into the kitchen and putting his things down. Liam trails behind, stuck in the wake of a Harry Styles hurricane.

“Um, yeah, sounds delicious. Should have a wok round here somewhere, I’ll just have a look around for it,” Liam responds, already heading towards the cabinets when Harry steps in front of him.

“That’s alright, I’ll find it. You look like you could use a bit of a lie-down. Go on, rest a bit and I’ll get this all sorted,” Harry says, turning Liam around and pushing him towards the door. Liam goes, too exhausted to put up a fight, and stops in the doorway to the living room. Beth is still sat in her chair, staring sadly at the wall.

“Beth,” Liam calls softly, smiling a bit when she looks up. “C’mere.”

She walks over to him silently and he takes her hand, walking her to her bedroom, where Maddy still sits in her time-out. He sends Beth into the room, watching with a fond smile as she apologizes to her sister and Maddy apologizes back. Then he beckons them over, carrying them to his bedroom where he throws them on the bed before crawling in after.

“Daddy, you’re not still mad at us?” Beth asks, looking worried.

“No, baby, of course not. Now, I think we all deserve a nap, right?” Liam suggests, already getting them settled, lying down with the girls on either side of him.

“But what about dinner?” Maddy asks, leaning over him to look into his eyes. “Does this mean we get pizza?”

Liam widens his eyes and leans forward until his nose touches Maddy’s. “Nope,” he says, popping the _p_ loudly to make her giggle. “Harry’s here, he’s making us something delicious.” He starts shaking his head when he sees the girls perk up with excitement. “Uh-uh. You can play with him after dinner, okay? But we are all sleeping now.” He closes his eyes. “See? Sleeping.”

The girls laugh beside him, shifting around to get comfortable. He hears two mumbled “Love you, Daddy”s before he drops off to sleep.

 

*

 

Liam wakes to something crawling over him and smacking his face gently with a small palm. He opens his eyes and smiles at Lily as she continues her exploration of the bed. He cuddles her close and looks up, spotting Harry standing at the end of the bed.

“Hey,” his voice comes out raspy, still thick with sleep. Harry smiles slowly.

“Hi,” he says quietly, mindful of the two girls still asleep. “You looked peaceful, didn’t want to wake you. Dinner’s ready.”

Liam starts to sit up, gently waking his daughters and alerting them to both Harry’s presence and the pleasant smell of dinner wafting down the hall. “How long were we out?” he asks Harry.

“Little over an hour. Lily woke up half an hour ago, I changed her and had her in the playpen in the kitchen while I finished up. I hope that’s alright?” Harry looks unsure, as though he hadn’t just done Liam the favor of a century.

“That’s great, actually. Really, thank you. You could’ve woken me up when Lily did though, you didn’t have to change her nappy,” Liam responds, getting up from the bed and beginning to herd the girls through to the kitchen.

“S’alright. No offense, mate, but you were dead on your feet when I got here. You needed the rest. Plus, Lily and I had some quality time together, didn’t we, darling?” he asks this last part to Lily directly, taking her out of Liam’s arms and settling her in her high chair. She babbles at him happily in response, and Liam glances around the room, faced with a delicious spread of food. The girls are already looking excited, and Liam is simultaneously amazed at their enthusiasm for vegetables and slightly jealous of Harry for somehow also being extremely talented in the kitchen. It’s unfair really, and then Liam starts to think about Harry’s talents in _other_ rooms, and then he has to cough and sit down quickly and hope he isn’t blushing too much.

“This looks amazing,” he says, laughing at how Harry preens under the compliment.

“Dig in,” Harry says as he smiles widely across the table at Liam, and Liam is struck by how domestic this feels, how much he’s missed having someone to fill out their dining table.

 _Stop it_ , he thinks. _It’s not like that_.

He can’t entirely convince himself.

 

*

 

Later, after the girls are asleep, tired from playing with Harry after dinner, Liam and Harry settle onto the couch, beers in hand. Liam realizes this is the first time they’ve ever been properly alone together, and the thought makes him twitchy, awkward.

“So, what happened today?” Harry asks. “You were proper upset when I came round.”

“Oh, you know,” Liam starts, before realizing that Harry really _doesn’t_ know, that he works in a field where everyone is paid to listen to him, that he’s single and doesn’t have to worry about trying to make sure he doesn’t fuck up raising kids too badly. Liam shifts, highly aware of the differences between them, ones he can forget when Harry’s jumping on his couch pretending the floor is lava. “Girls were in moods all day, then I went down to the shop and apparently everyone’s car decided to break down today. And they weren’t afraid of telling me how late I was making them for whatever important meeting they had. Then just before you came round Maddy and Beth had a row, Beth pushed Maddy, and I had to put them in time-out.” Liam sighs, looking at his fingers where he’s tearing the label off his bottle. “Sorry, you probably don’t want to hear this.”

Harry reaches forward, stilling Liam’s hands. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to hear. I’m sorry, sounds like it was a day from hell.”

“Well, got better at the end, didn’t it?” Liam says, looking up and meeting Harry’s eyes. They’re closer together than they first were, thighs brushing as they sit side by side on the couch. “Sorry, I didn’t even ask about you. How was your day?”

Harry leans back, taking a sip of his drink. Liam tries not to focus on the cold air along his side where Harry’s body heat used to be. “Alright, standard. Woke up, did a little writing, had a couple meetings about tour things, and had a bit of time in the studio with the lads. I was sort of trying to figure out a way to invite myself over here when you texted, actually.”

Liam laughs, surprised. “Why?” slips out of his mouth before he can stop it, and he watches as Harry’s brow furrows in response.

“Because I like spending time with you, Liam.” His voice sounds strange around Liam’s name, more drawn out and a bit offended. Liam likes it more than he wants to admit. “You and the girls. Speaking of, I’m having a barbecue round mine this weekend, I want the girls to be there. And you, of course. But the girls mostly.”

Liam laughs again. “A barbecue? Not being funny, mate, but you know it’s October, right?”

“Yeah, but Niall--he plays guitar in my band, you know--he loves a barbecue and we reckon it’s the last time we can use it before it gets too cold. It’ll be a small deal, just the lads in the band and a few close friends. Oh! You should bring your mate Louis along, I’d like to meet him.” Harry says, and again, Liam is struck by how many words he can say in the slowest way possible. It’s a raw talent.

“Um, alright then. The girls and I will be there, Louis too. And he’ll probably bring his boyfriend, he’s a right laugh. Sounds fun,” Liam responds, smiling when he sees the grin that breaks out on Harry’s face.

“Great!” Harry claps his hands and starts to stand up. “Well, I should head home. Thanks so much for having me, I’ll see you this weekend. I’ll text you details!” he calls out before he’s gone, leaving behind a half-empty bottle of beer and a slowly cooling space on the couch. Liam shakes his head. Try as he might, he cannot understand that boy.

 

*

 

Saturday comes quicker than anticipated, and finds Liam, Louis, and Nick shuttling the girls on the Underground to get to Harry’s house on the other side of London. It’s big, bigger than Liam thought you could get while still staying within the actual city. He can tell the girls are excited about the size of Harry’s garden; they don’t exactly have a lot of green space in their third-floor walk-up flat. Louis whistles as they walk through the gate and up the drive.

“Not too shabby, eh, Payno? You got a good one,” Louis teases, grinning mischievously ( _evilly_ , Liam’s mind provides).

“We’re _friends_ , Louis, alright? He invited us mostly because of the girls, I told you,” Liam hisses, trying to make sure Harry--or any of his famous friends, oh god--doesn’t overhear Louis’ teasing and thinks Liam is some sort of crazy gold-digging fan.

“And because he wanted to meet me!” Grimmy adds, dramatically draping himself over Liam’s shoulders and making the girls giggle. “Don’t forget that!”

“Excuse you, Nicholas, he wanted to meet _me_. You’re just a lucky hanger-on,” Louis rebuts, and then they’re off and their steady bickering lasts until they get to the door and Liam knocks nervously.

There’s commotion from inside the house, the sound of multiple people yelling “I’ll get it” followed by what sounds like a footrace to the door. Harry finally pulls the door open, looking breathless and followed closely by a man with bleach-blonde hair. The blonde man attempts to stop his momentum, but his socks slide on the floor and he crashes into Harry’s back, sending him stumbling right into Liam’s chest. Liam’s arms come up to steady him, hands landing on Harry’s biceps and holding on until Harry is back in an upright position. His hands linger even after Harry is standing, appreciating the solid nature of his arms; the sound of laughter from his daughters (and his friends) breaks him out of his stupor and he pulls his hands away immediately, shoving them in his pockets lest they grow minds of their own and latch onto Harry and never let go.

“Right,” he says, clearing his throat and turning toward Louis, whose eyes are dancing with amusement. “Um, Harry, this is my best mate Louis Tomlinson and his boyfriend, Nick Grimshaw,” he says, gesturing to each of them before grabbing the hands of Maddy and Beth, who have decided that Harry’s legs make the most fun climbing frame ever. “Lads, this is, uh, Harry.”

Harry smiles, stepping aside to allow them into the house and jerking a thumb over his shoulder to the blonde, who is still watching the interaction like it’s the most interesting soap opera he’s ever seen. “This is Niall,” Harry introduces. “He plays guitar in my band and he’s the one who decided a barbeque in October was the idea of the century.” He turns to Louis next. “Hey, it’s really great to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Uh-huh,” Louis says, short, and Liam cringes internally. Of course he wouldn’t behave himself. “And you’re the one who’s trying to steal my goddaughters from me, is it? Every time I go over now it’s Harry this and Harry that,” Louis says, crossing his arms and giving Harry an assessing look. Harry, for his part, looks a bit shellshocked, and Liam would very much like to melt into the ground.

Nick smacks Louis on the arm with the back of his hand before reaching out to Harry and Niall, who's still standing to the side, looking amused. “Ignore him, please, it's what the rest of us do. ‘M Nick, you can call me Grimmy, and I have heard lots about you. Too bad none of the papers care about how well Harry Styles can braid hair, else I’d be a millionaire by now.” Harry continues to look bewildered, but Niall looks absolutely delighted, cackling loudly and leaning over to engulf Nick in a hug, slapping him on the back.

“I think we're gonna get along, mate,” he says, beginning to lead the girls and Louis and Nick further into the house, where the sounds of the party can be heard from the hallway.

Harry moves to follow them, but Liam reaches out and catches his arm. “Wait,” he says, dropping his hand quickly when he sees Harry looking at it and looking to the floor. “Listen, sorry about that, I know they can be a little, uh--”

“Eccentric?” Harry finishes, looking amused when Liam finally looks back up at him. “It’s fine, Li, really. They're fun, I like them. Now, come on, I want you to meet everyone. They're all excited to meet you, I may have talked you up a bit.”

Liam laughs a little, moving down the hallway where the others had just gone. “Me? Or the girls?” he asks, just as he steps into the spacious living room. There are about a dozen people scattered about, chatting casually. Liam sees Niall chatting with Grimmy and two other guys who he vaguely recognizes, then Louis holding Lily as a group of women--including, if Liam’s correct, Alexa Chung and Daisy Lowe--coo over her, and Maddy and Beth appear to be holding court in the center of the room, surrounded by adults who look charmed by the girls’ presence. He grins at Harry before hearing Louis call his name, and he turns back and starts walking over, but not before he hears a murmured “you, definitely you,” come from Harry. Before he can really process that, he’s being swept up in the excitement of the party.

 

*

 

The party is fun, pretty casual, and Liam’s small group gets absorbed into the fold fairly easily. The girls are the life of the party, of course, charming all of the adults immediately. Louis and Nick strike up a quick friendship with Niall and the guys Liam recognized (Sandy and Josh, who round out the lineup of Black Coast), heading out to the back garden about two hours into the party and coming back giggling with suspiciously red eyes.

Liam, for his part, spends the party drifting casually between groups of people, making sure to keep an eye out on his children--both the girls and Louis, whose maturity level is about at Maddy’s when he’s high--and trying not to freak out too much when Henry bloody Holland compliments the shirt that he got on markdown at Primark. Harry is never far behind him, quick to step in with a hand low on Liam’s back when there’s a particular group he wants to introduce him to, or passing Liam a new beer when his goes empty. It’s comfortable, reminds Liam of when he and Steph used to go to parties together as a couple, back before it got bad and they were a good team instead of two people who were going through the motions of being in love. He goes to take another drink from his beer to drown out the memories only to find his bottle empty. He slips into the kitchen, looking for a new one, only to run almost directly into Niall.

“Woah, mate, easy there,” Niall says, going to steady Liam’s shoulders even though he was the one left stumbling after their run-in. He grins widely, noticing Liam’s empty bottle. “Want another? Haz’s almost out but I think I saw some in the back when I was putting the leftovers in the fridge, c’mon.” He heads back into the kitchen, Liam following bemusedly as he comes face to face with Niall’s arse, the top half of him almost fully in the fridge rustling around.

“Ah, here,” he says, extracting a beer bottle from the labyrinthine fridge and handing it to Liam. “For the guest of honor.”

Liam laughs, goes a bit red. “That’s not true.”

“Pretty sure it is, mate, Harry hasn’t shut up about you coming to this since you accepted the invitation. Actually, Harry hasn’t shut up about you, period, since you met,” Niall responds, quirking an eyebrow at him. Liam wonders if his face is actually on fire with how red it feels like it’s gotten.

“Uh, well, I mean, that’s not--” Liam stutters, before he gets cut off by a loud, distinctly Lily cry from the next room. He goes into full dad mode instantly, leaving his beer on the counter as rushes out of the kitchen. He sees Maddy and Beth looking at him when he reaches the living room, standing just in front of Louis and Nick, then follows the sounds of Lily’s whimpers to see her held in Harry’s arms. Harry is shushing her, bouncing her around and whispering silly things to her. It’s sort of working, in that Lily mostly now looks confused as to whether or not she should keep crying, but then she turns and sees Liam standing in the door and she calls out for him, reaching her arms towards him. Harry turns next and smiles wryly when he sees Liam, shrugging in a ‘what can you do’ kind of gesture. Liam isn’t exactly sure about what he can do about the feeling he gets in his chest when he sees Harry playing or cuddling with the girls, acting like he wants to stay forever, acting like he even _could_ stay forever, but. Those thoughts are meant for late at night when he’s lying awake feeling lonely and sorry for himself, not for when he’s got a 9-month-old baby crying and needing him to calm her down.

He grabs Lily out of Harry’s arms, trying not to think too much about how Harry lingers in his space, how comfortable it already is to have Harry standing close, and shushes Lily, bouncing her a bit. “What’s up, darling? You getting sleepy?” She mumbles a little back at him, already looking like she’s about to fall asleep right there. He looks back up at Harry and smiles a bit.

“You’re really good at that,” Harry says, looking slightly impressed. He still hasn’t moved out of Liam’s space, a hand resting gently on Lily’s back and rubbing occasionally.

“Lots of practice,” Liam replies. “You’re not too bad yourself. I think it’s probably time for us to head out, though. Gotta get the girls in bed.”

It’s a bit hectic after that, saying goodbye to everyone, getting the girls in their jackets and shoes, double and triple checking they haven’t left anything behind (even as Harry assures that he’ll text if they have), but finally they end up in Harry’s front hall again. Louis and Nick say goodbye first, followed by Maddy and Beth, who have Harry promise to come play with them again soon, and then Liam and Harry are left alone in the entryway, Lily still asleep in Liam’s arms.

“Thanks so much for coming, Liam, really. I know it’s not very easy for you to do things like this with the girls and it really means a lot to me. So yeah, thanks,” Harry finishes, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Mate, it’s no problem, it’s great spending time with you and obviously the girls love it too. Thanks for inviting us, you didn’t have to,” Liam says.

“Wanted you here. Always want you around, Liam. I’ll let you go now though, so you can put this one to bed.” Harry says, leaning in and brushing a light kiss to the top of Lily’s head before turning his head and doing the same to Liam’s cheek. Liam feels his face heat up and stumbles his way through a goodbye and heading out the door. He ignores Louis’ teasing all the way home.

 

*

 

Liam and Harry’s relationship changes a bit after that, which mostly leaves Liam feeling like the ground has been taken out from under him and he’s falling. The problem is that he can’t say he dislikes the feeling.

Harry is everywhere Liam goes. Harry was always everywhere Liam went, what with him being famous and all, but now it’s not just Harry’s face on the cover of magazines or Harry’s voice coming out tinny on the radio that Paul keeps in the garage. It’s Harry somehow (Liam would bet money on Louis) getting an extra key to Liam’s apartment and just _being there_ all the time. It’s Harry going away for a week in late November to work on the next album and spending the whole time sending Liam incomprehensible Snapchat photos and texts about how he wishes Liam were there with him. It’s Harry offering to watch the girls when Liam has to pick up an emergency shift at the garage and can’t pick them up from school.

It’s the way Harry looked him up and down with dark eyes when Liam showed up that day, rushing home still covered in grease.

Liam recognizes that he and Harry are on the precipice, balancing on a knife’s edge between platonic and romantic, more than friends but not yet _more than_ more than friends. It’s thrilling and exciting, and Liam enjoys their flirty moments more than anything, but there’s something holding him back. Maybe it’s the girls, maybe it’s that Harry’s life seems incompatible with Liam’s, maybe it’s that Liam’s been burned before and is too cautious to start anything with Harry. Whichever way it is, Louis never tires of giving him shit about it.

“Look, Payno, I’m not saying you need to rush into anything, but you’ve also been not rushing into anything with Harry for months now. I think if he was going to bail on you he would’ve done it,” Louis says, leaning back in his chair at the coffeeshop they’ve taken refuge at while Nick and Harry take the girls shopping. It’s December, and the girls had insisted on keeping Liam’s Christmas presents a secret, so Harry volunteered to take them to the shops.

“But that’s it, Louis, he’s leaving on tour in a few weeks. What am I supposed to do then? Like, I don’t know what he gets up to on the road, and it’s not exactly like I can ask him to stay faithful if we’ve been dating for less than a month, not to mention how hard it’s _already_ going to be on the girls when we’re just friends, and it’s just...too complicated,” Liam finishes on a sigh.

“Okay, well, I think you aren’t giving Harry enough credit. Like, I’ve only known him a little while but I can already tell that whatever garbage they say about him fucking around in the rags isn’t true. I know you know that. He’s spent pretty much every day with you for the past month and a half, but all I see when I go to Tesco’s is how he’s been holed up on a sex vacation with some Kardashian sister. It’s all bullshit. You’re just stopping yourself because you’re afraid he’s gonna fuck you over like Steph--”

“Stop, Louis, I don’t wanna hear it,” Liam cuts in, looking down into his now-cold cup of tea as he shakes his head.

“Sorry, Li, but you have to hear it. He’s not her, alright? I know she did a number on you, on all of us really, but you’ve gotta move on eventually. The way he is around those girls, around you--maybe you can’t see it but the rest of us sure as hell can. Listen, Liam, you’ve always been the most sensible person I know, but sometimes you get too caught in your own head. Maybe it’s time to take some risks,” Louis argues.

Liam sighs. “Not sensible anymore, not since I started hanging round you, Tommo,” he says, a weak attempt at a joke. Louis grins, though, sharp.

“Damn straight. I’ve corrupted you. Now tell me you’ll at least think about making a move on Harry, please?” he asks, and his puppy dog eyes can rival Liam’s toddlers’.

Liam’s about to give in, to say fuck it and actually go for something without thinking too much about it for once in his life, when Nick bursts through the doors with the girls.

“What’s happened?” Louis asks.

“Where’s Harry?” Liam says at the same time.

“Paps,” Nick breathes, chest moving heavily from his rush to get to them. “Didn’t see me or the girls, I don’t think, but Harry got caught up. I think he’s trying to get somewhere where he can call his security. Was pretty clear we should head out, though.”

Liam and Louis share a look before standing up, gathering their things and making sure the girls are nice and bundled up before they head back out into the cold. Liam knows Louis still wants him to go for it with Harry, but doesn’t this just prove that their lives are incompatible? Harry spends his days fielding paparazzi and wearing designer clothes; Liam spends his watching CBeebies and finding new ways to get spit-up off his t-shirts. It wouldn’t work. Liam’s sure of it.

 

*

 

Harry shows up later that day, when the girls are engrossed in watching Frozen for probably the billionth time. He and Liam stand in the doorway to the living room quietly, watching them.

“I'm sorry about earlier,” Harry murmurs, eyes not leaving the girls even as Liam turns to look at him. “If I had known they would be there I would have never taken the girls, or I would have called more security, or something.”

Liam chuckles lightly. “Harry, come on, it's not your fault. You're famous, these things happen.”

“Yeah, but they shouldn't have to happen with you, or the girls. You have to know that I would _never_ let them get hurt,” Harry says vehemently.

“I know that, Haz, of course I know that,” Liam replies, caught off guard by Harry's intensity. “Besides, nothing even happened. They’re fine, we’re all fine. Stop beating yourself up, okay?” Liam reassures, leaning over and pressing his shoulder against Harry’s. Harry presses back, smiling a little.

“Thanks, Li,” he says, leaning in and kissing his cheek. Liam’s so used to it now that he barely blushes. Sort of. “I should get going, though. Talk to you tomorrow?”

Liam knows that Harry will probably end up round his again tomorrow, despite the fact that they have no concrete plans yet--it’s basically become routine. “Yeah, course. Girls, come say bye to Harry!” he calls out, grinning as the girls thunder towards them, Beth and Maddy reaching Harry practically at the same time and near knocking him over as they each hit his legs. Lily isn’t far behind, her crawling having picked up speed in the last couple weeks. She’s almost a year now, and Liam reckons she’ll start walking and talking soon. For now, though, she plants herself on her bottom in front of Liam, lifting her arms and babbling at him loudly until he picks her up. He does and turns back to Harry, who’s crouched down to give the older girls hugs and kisses goodbye.

“Harry, can we go shopping again tomorrow?” Liam hears Maddy ask, and he doesn’t miss the way Harry stiffens a bit at that.

“Come on, honey, we can’t go bankrupting Harry, can we? I’ll take you shopping some other time,” Liam placates, nudging Maddy gently with his leg. Harry sends him a grateful look before standing up, taking Lily out of Liam’s arms where she’s reaching for him.

“See you tomorrow, Lilypad. Try not to give your old man a heart attack before then. That goes for you two munchkins too,” he says, looking down at Maddy and Beth, who start giggling. He hands Lily back to Liam with a kiss to both their cheeks, ruffles the older two’s hair one last time, and heads out the door with one last wave over his shoulder.

Later that night, as Liam carries a sleeping Maddy to bed, the other two already there and sleeping soundly, he hears her yawn and wake up. “Daddy?” she asks quietly.

“Yeah, darling?” Liam responds, opening the door to her bedroom quietly so as not to wake Beth.

“Can Harry stay with us forever?”

Liam presses a kiss to her hair. “I wish, baby. I wish,” he says as he places her in bed, where she rolls over and falls fast asleep.

When Liam heads to bed later that night, it isn’t as easy for him to fall asleep as it was for his daughters.

 

*

 

Christmas comes soon enough, and like every year Liam bundles the girls onto a train up to Wolverhampton to spend it with his family. He spends the whole time dreading his arrival because he _knows_ that as soon as the fuss over the girls dies down his mum and, oh god, his _sisters_ are going to be all over him about Harry. He hasn’t exactly _lied_ to them about his friendship with Harry he’s just...pointedly changed the subject every time they’ve brought up who exactly the “Hazza” that the girls go on about is. And possibly faked a baby emergency a few times just to get off the phone. But now he’ll be home with them for a whole week with plenty of opportunities for them to trap him and force him into spilling everything.

Just as he’s trying to strategically plan how he can delay the inevitable for as long as possible, his phone buzzes with a text. It’s from Harry, of course. When he opens it he’s greeted with a selfie of Harry pouting exaggeratedly at the camera.

 **_Miss you lot already! Holmes Chapel is boring...wish you were here xx_ ** the text underneath reads. Liam smiles down at his phone as he feels his sleeve being tugged and looks over to see Beth trying to peer at his screen, Maddy on her other side also looking intrigued.

“Daddy,” Beth whines, “what is it?”

“Harry’s being silly, love. Do you want to send him a picture?” he asks, laughing when she nods enthusiastically. He lets her crawl into his lap, Maddy pressing into his side. They insist he get Lily out of her carrier too, so he settles her on his lap as well, Beth’s arm going around her and holding her in place. Liam rests his chin on the top of Beth’s head, positioning his phone so that they all make it in the frame. “Funny faces, please,” he says seriously, and then laughs as they comply, crossing their eyes and sticking out tongues. He snaps the photo then and brings the phone close for them all to inspect.

Beth’s eyes are crossed, her tongue poking out of her small mouth. Maddy’s got her cheeks pushed out and lips puckered like a fish, her eyes crossed as well. Lily hasn’t exactly got a silly face on, but one fist is half stuffed in her mouth and the other hand is reaching toward the camera. And Liam is above all of them, half of his forehead cut off but his eyes, crinkled with mirth, and laughing mouth are clearly visible. All in all, it’s a solid family photo. He sends it off to Harry with a **_don’t miss you at alllll hahahaa_ ** and settles in with his girls to relax for the rest of the trip.

He next checks his phone just before they pull in the station, and he’s looking for a message from his dad saying he’s there to pick them up. That message is there, and so is one from Harry that simply says **_Lovely xx_ **.

Later that night, Louis texts him a link to some Sugarscape article with no further message other than a devil emoji. Liam tries not to feel too much dread as he clicks through the link, waiting for it to load on his parents’ slow wifi. When it finally opens, he rolls his eyes at the headline.

**_WHAT’S ON HARRY’S PHONE??? SUGARSCAPE POLL!!_ **

Underneath, there’s a clear fan photo with Harry, probably from when he was out with his family in Holmes Chapel. Someone’s zoomed in on Harry’s phone, which is visible peeking out from over the shoulder of the fan his arm’s around, and scribbled a bunch of Microsoft Paint question marks over it. Harry must have pressed the button on accident, because the screen is lit up and his background is visible, though hard to distinguish due to the low quality of the picture. Underneath are a collection of tweets from Harry’s fans trying to figure out what the image is, but Liam doesn’t need to see any of the speculation. He knows what his and the girls’ faces look like, even on a blurry Twitter photo.

Harry has a picture of Liam’s family as his phone background, and Liam doesn’t know what to do with himself or with the warm feeling that’s slowly filling his stomach. The feeling doesn’t last long, however, as he’s suddenly sandwiched between Ruth and Nicola on the couch. They have matching evil grins on their faces and he groans.

“What do you want?” he asks, already dreading the answer.

“Now, Liam, that’s not very nice,” Ruth says. “We just want to catch up with our baby brother.”

“Yeah,” Nicola continues. “And figure out who exactly this Harry person is and what his intentions towards you are.”

“Or what _your_ intentions towards _him_ are,” Ruth finishes, and they both burst into laughter.

“What, did you lot rehearse that?” Liam asks, exasperated.

“Maaaaybe, but don’t think you can change the subject. Who’s Harry, what’s he do?” Ruth presses.

“Er, he’s, uh, a musician,” Liam answers. “He’s in a band.”

“A musician? Would we have heard of him?” Nicola asks.

“Uh, maybe,” Liam hedges, and at that exact moment, because God hates him, a commercial on the TV starts playing a Black Coast song. Just as he’s praying his sisters won’t put two and two together, Ruth gasps.

“Liam, no way,” she says, slapping him on the shoulder and ignoring his protests. “You are _not_ dating Harry Styles.”

Nicola, who had been looking between the two of them confused, gasps as well. “ _Liam!_ ” she practically shrieks.

“ _No_ , I am _not_ dating Harry Styles, we’re _friends_. That’s all. Can we be done now?” Liam says, attempting to stand up. His sisters each get a hand on one of his shoulders, however, and keep him on the couch.

“No way, we’re just getting started,” Nicola says, but before they can start the interrogation, his mum steps out of the kitchen to let them all know that dinner is ready.

“Saved by the bell,” Ruth mumbles. “This isn’t over.” Liam makes a face at her as he stands up and heads towards the dining room, making sure the girls are set up comfortably at the dinner table and dodging the questioning looks of his family for the rest of the night.

 

*

 

Liam manages to strategically avoid discussions of Harry Styles with his family (though the same can’t be said for the girls, who are constantly retelling stories of things they’ve done with “Hazza”), but even in Wolverhampton he can’t avoid Louis Tomlinson.

“You know what the best birthday present would be for me?” Louis asks on their annual birthday/Christmas Eve phone call.

“Um, those tickets to see your favorite band that I already got you?” Liam guesses.

“Please, you didn’t even pay for those, I’m counting them as a present from Harry. No, I think what I want this year--and I’ll say it’s a Christmas present too--is for you to get your head out of your ass and date Harry,” Louis says.

Liam sighs. “Lou, I don’t know--”

“Yeah, Liam, you don’t know,” Louis cuts him off. “You keep giving all these reasons for why you can’t date him, but they’re all in your head. You can’t know what’s going to happen until you _try_ , and you keep counting yourself out before you even take the shot.”

“Okay, Lou, that’s really inspirational and all, but I just--worry,” Liam responds quietly.

“Yeah, Li, I know you do,” Louis says with a small huff of a laugh. “How’s this: you try it with Harry, and if it goes south, after I kindly remove his cock and balls with my bare hands, I will never force you to do anything again, okay?”

Liam sighs again. “Fine,” he says, and he can practically hear Louis’ grin down the phone.

“Great! You won’t regret it, when have I ever steered you wrong?” Louis asks excitedly.

Liam just groans.

 

*

 

Christmas passes in a blur, and two days later Liam and the girls head home laden with gifts and leftovers. As much as Liam loves his family, he feels an overwhelming sense of relief when he steps through the door of his apartment, the girls rushing ahead to start putting their new toys away, Lily wriggling in his arms as she recognizes her surroundings. He walks over to the couch and drops down on it, keeping Lily cuddled close and resting his head on the back of the sofa. He closes his eyes and feels relaxed for the first time in days.

“Comfortable?” A voice says from behind him.

Liam jumps off the couch and spins around, heart beating fast at a potential intruder. The intruder, it turns out, is Harry, smiling widely and with streaks of flour on his cheek and in his hair. Liam’s shoulders sag with relief as he comes down from the adrenaline high. Lily’s going wild in his arms from the excitement and from seeing Harry, her chubby little arms reaching for him as she makes little “ah ah” noises that they long ago came to understand as her attempt to say Harry’s name.

“Christ, Hazza, you scared me,” Liam reprimands, handing Lily over easily when Harry comes to take her. Harry doesn’t respond, just flashes Liam a grin as he cuddles Lily close, pressing the standard kiss on Liam’s cheek before heading back into the kitchen.

“How was Wolverhampton? And come in here, I have a surprise,” Harry calls back over his shoulder, and Liam is struck again by how domestic, how _right_ , it feels to come home to Harry, to have Harry banging around in Liam’s kitchen like it’s his own, to hear Harry responding to Lily’s babbling like they’re having an actual conversation. It’s scary, how much he wants to stay in this moment forever, and he’s frozen in the living room until Maddy comes dashing in from her room.

“Daddy!” she calls, jolting him out of his stupor. “Is Harry here?” she asks, peering towards the kitchen where they can still hear Harry moving around. Beth, with her supersonic hearing, comes down the hall too at the mention of Harry’s name. Liam finally forces himself to move, walking into the kitchen with the girls hot on his heels. They’re faced with yet another sight that almost bowls Liam over, of Harry pulling a tray of chocolate chip cookies out of the oven, two other trays already cooling off to the side.

“There you are!” Harry says, smiling widely over at Liam and the girls. “How was your Christmas, girls?” And with that Beth and Maddy are off, talking over one another and telling Harry all about their new toys and their time at grandma and grandpa’s. Liam stands off to the side, grabbing a cookie, or two, or three-- _fuck_ these are good--and observing the scene, occasionally catching Harry’s eye and sharing a smile. And as he looks over them all together, the only word that comes to his mind is _family_.

 

*

 

After that, Liam retreats a bit. He knows it’s not the smartest decision (Louis’ increasingly threatening texts certainly prove that), but that moment in the kitchen made Liam realize something. His crush on Harry was no longer just a crush, something he could write off as a passing phase. He was in love with Harry and he had no idea what to do about it. Because the crush he could handle; the majority of the country had a crush on Harry. But love is a whole other game, one he hasn’t played in a while, and one that frankly scares the shit out of him.

So he does the only thing he can think of: he avoids it. He only halfheartedly responds to Harry’s texts (and ignores Louis’ completely), makes up excuses for why he can’t hang out, and spends New Year’s Eve on the couch with the girls instead of at some party with Louis or Harry or both. He puts on a fake countdown at around eight, toasting with apple juice and giving all the girls their New Year’s kisses before having them solidly in bed at eight thirty. It’s not exactly the wild nights he imagined for himself when he was 20, but it’s the best kind of night he can imagine now.

With the girls fast asleep, Liam finds himself sat on the couch, bottle of beer in hand and watching the New Year’s festivities on TV. He’s debating between ordering a pizza or trying to scrounge something together from whatever’s in the fridge when his phone buzzes next to him. He ignores the way his heart jumps in his chest, and the way it falls when he sees it’s just one last invitation from Louis to join him and Nick for New Year’s. He declines again, giving the same old reason that he can’t leave the girls and he doesn’t have a sitter. Then he decides on the pizza with extra cheese; the New Year is for working out, right?

He sighs, sitting back on the couch and thinking about how Nick and Louis are probably out getting smashed, and, worse, how Harry is, too. He knows Harry's at some big celeb party, palling around with the likes of Kendall Jenner and Taylor Swift. It just throws the differences between them into even harsher relief--Liam can't even remember the last time he really went out. He thinks it must have been before Lily was born, before she was even really a thought. Back then he and Steph used to have date nights often, leaving the girls with Louis or a sitter and hitting the town. But that was a long time ago now, and that story ends with him sitting on his couch alone at 10:30 on New Year’s Eve, pining after a rock star. Liam laughs at himself.

“Fucking ridiculous, man,” he mutters, getting up to grab another beer.

His pizza gets there soon enough, and after eating almost all of it (he mentally adds another day of cardio to make up for it) and having another couple beers, he feels pleasantly full and a bit tipsy at around 11:30. Since tipsy is about as drunk as he can get these days without seriously paying for it in the morning, he thinks he’s having a successful night. Even if his mind keeps straying to Harry.

Speak of the devil, his phone buzzes with a message.

**_liiiaaaaammmmmm it's almost new yearssssss_ **

It reads, and Liam is confused for a second before he realizes with a jolt that Harry is drunk, which is something he's never experienced, through a phone or otherwise. As he's trying to come up with an appropriate response, another message comes through.

**_r u gonna kiss anyone???/_ **

And _that_ is something he is definitely not equipped to handle. He's struck with an image of Harry at a glittery party, drunk on top shelf liquor and sat somewhere texting Liam of all people. He's still grappling with that when his phone buzzes three times in quick succession.

**_wish u werre here_ **

**_would kiss u if u were_ **

**_wanna kiss u all th timee li_ **

Liam's heart stops in his chest and then starts beating double time. The image in his head morphs from Harry alone at the party to the two of them there together. He imagines them dancing to whatever Top 40 song is playing, pressed close on the dance floor. He knows Harry’s prone to falling all over himself, so Liam would keep his hands tight on Harry’s waist, holding him close as they ground together. He can almost see Harry's coy smile before he leans in for a kiss, can practically taste the rum on Harry's pink lips.

Liam’s brought out of the fantasy by the sound of the TV presenters beginning the countdown to midnight. He groans, pressing a hand to where his dick is half-hard in his sweats from just the thought of kissing Harry. God, he's desperate.

_Eight...seven...six…_

Harry's messages remain unanswered on his phone.

_Four...three...two..._

Liam opens a new message.

**_happy new year hazza xxxx_ **

 

*

 

“Well, I fucking told you so,” Louis says, handing Liam his phone back after reading Harry’s messages. They're all at brunch on New Year’s Day, Louis and Nick looking a tad hungover and Liam exhausted from staying up half the night thinking about Harry.

“Uncle Lou, you swore!” Beth exclaims from her seat next to Louis. “You owe us 50p.”

“50p?” Louis counters. “In this economy?”

As the girls and Louis bargain exactly how much he's required to put into their swear jar when they get home, Nick turns to Liam from where he's just finished reading the texts from the night before.

“What I think Louis is _trying_ to say is that we’re happy for you,” Nick starts.

“Oi, don't put words in my mouth, Grimshaw,” Louis interjects, but Nick ignores him.

“Those don't sound like he was messing with you, or like he was too drunk to know what he was doing. Sounds more like he had just enough to drink to lower his inhibitions,” Nick continues, smiling reassuringly at Liam. “So, now you know the feelings are reciprocated. What’re you going to do about it?”

Liam sighs, looking down at his eggs before looking back up to where the girls are sitting at the table. He quickly moves Maddy’s glass of milk out of the way of her flailing arms before she spills it all down her new princess dress. He looks back to where Louis and Nick are looking at him expectantly.

“I think I'm going to talk to him after the concert next week. And ask him on a date,” he says, hoping that's the right answer. Based on the way Louis and Nick light up with grins (and how the girls cheer along with Louis’ _atta boy, Payno_ despite not fully knowing the situation), he thinks it is.

 

*

 

The concert can't come fast enough. For all Liam was avoiding Harry after Christmas, he's acutely aware that Harry is avoiding him now. Their text conversation has been dead since New Year’s, and Harry hasn't popped by for one of his surprise visits. Add that on top of the girls’ excitement for their first concert, and the entire Payne household has been under a haze of anticipation for several days before the Friday night of the concert comes around.

When they finally make it to Friday, Louis and Grimmy come round to Liam’s to help him get the girls ready. Louis had bought all the girls Black Coast merch for Christmas, so they look like the world's smallest groupies when they're all suited up. Liam can't resist snapping a photo and sending it to Harry with the caption **_can't wait 2 see youuuu ur gonna smash it_ ** . Predictably, he doesn't get a response, but the prospect of seeing Harry after (since their tickets also came with backstage passes, something Louis said would have been _much more sick before you basically married him, Liam_ ) belays any disappointment he would have felt. Liam was going to see Harry, and he was going to tell him how he felt, and it was going to be great. He couldn't wait.

When they get to the stadium, the security guard’s eyes widen as he reads Liam's name on the ticket.

“Right, you're coming with me,” he says, before mumbling something into his walkie-talkie. He leads the six of them through a maze of back hallways before he opens a door and shows them to their seats, and _wow_.

Harry had managed to get them seats practically on the side of the stage in the bloody O2 arena, with a perfect view of both the roadies setting up for the opening band and of the groups of people milling about in the general admission pit. Louis lets out a small whistle as he observes the scene, and the girls start chattering away excitedly. The security guard comes back with three sets of large headphones.

“Here,” he says gruffly. “You're gonna need these for the little ones. I'll be back at the end of the set to take you backstage. You good?”

Liam nods and thanks him and herds the girls so he can get the headphones settled on their ears.

When he stands back up he must look a bit shellshocked at the whole situation, because Louis put an arm around his shoulder.

“Think you need to get used to this kind of thing, mate. You've bagged yourself a proper rockstar,” he says, but before Liam can respond, the lights go down and the dull roar of the crowd sharpens into a bona fide explosion. Liam spares a thought to feel grateful that the girls are wearing their headphones (and another wondering if he could get some for himself) before the opener comes out and starts the show.

They’re good, getting the crowd excited and, after Louis disappears for a couple minutes before returning with beers for the three of them, Liam feels a lot more relaxed, dancing around with the girls as the first band wraps up their set. The nerves creep back in a bit in between, as they watch the roadies set up the instruments for Black Coast and as the anticipation of the crowd becomes almost tangible. He reminds himself that he has nothing to be worried about, that it’s just _Harry_ , the boy who was in his kitchen the other week spilling flour as he baked cookies. He ignores the fact that there’s probably thousands of people in the stadium who would kill to have the relationship Liam has with Harry. Who would really kill to have the relationship that Liam _wants_ to have with Harry.

Before he can fall too deep into these thoughts, the lights dim and the crowd once again begins to roar. The lights on the stage are doing some flashing thing that makes the movement of the band members--Liam sees that they’re on the side of the stage closest to Niall’s guitar--looks like it’s happening in slow motion. The flashing continues for a few seconds while to band gets set up before all the lights go out, followed a second later by a single spotlight shining down on where Harry now stands at the front of the stage. The screaming in the arena gets so loud at the first glimpse of him Liam fights the urge to cover his own ears. He focuses instead on the way that the girls are jumping up and down, pointing at Harry and yelling like Liam can’t see him himself.

Harry begins to sing, a low, slow song that Liam’s heard a few times through Louis’ speakers. He vaguely recognizes the lyrics (and the way that they’re being shouted back at Harry from the crowd), but mostly he focuses on what Harry looks like on stage. Suddenly he’s not the boy who’s been hanging out with Liam and his daughters for the past few months. Suddenly he’s every inch the heartthrob and sex symbol that the tabloids make him out to be. The way he’s gripping the mic, the way he leans into it to get out the high notes, the low, gritty tone of his voice, it’s all mesmerizing. Mesmerizing and crazy sexy.

As the tempo of the song picks up, so do Harry’s movements, and soon he's walking all across the stage, flipping his hair around and leaning into the audience to wave at the phone cameras in the front row. If possible, the screams in the arena get even louder when the huge flat screens on either side of the stage catch a hint of Harry’s smile as he pulls away to take a breath before launching into the chorus one last time. The song ends much the same way it started, with a sole spotlight on Harry as he croons out the final note. After, the crowd goes wild and from Liam's vantage point he can see the way Harry grins over at Niall before leaning back into the mic.

“Why, thank you so much, London. It sure feels good to be back up here,” he says with a sly smirk. “We are Black Coast and we're going to play a few songs for you, if that's alright?” Harry laughs as the crowd screams back at them. “Well alright then, Niall?”

“Yes, Harry?” Niall says, stepping up to the mic to screams of his own.

“Let’s give the people what they want. This is No Control,” Harry says, and Liam feels the way Louis starts jumping beside him, excited. The song starts with a heavy guitar riff that Liam can feel in his bones, and before he realizes it he's dancing along with the crowd, bouncing Lily in his arms and laughing at the complicated do-si-do that Beth and Maddy are performing in front of him.

The concert continues at the high energy pace for a while, the liveliness of the crowd seeming to fuel the band in stage and vice versa. After about five or six songs, however, the lights dim again, and a roadie brings out two stools and an acoustic guitar for Niall.

“So, uh, we're doing something a little different tonight,” Harry says, ducking his head almost bashfully. “We've got some special guests in the audience tonight and this one's for them.”

Niall starts to strum the guitar gently and almost immediately he feels Maddy tug on his hand.

“Daddy, it's for us! It's our song!” she exclaims, grin splitting her face in two and showing off where her first adult teeth are growing in. Liam smiles back, too overcome with emotion to say anything, and keeps his grip on her hand as he looks back to Harry. He's vaguely aware of Louis grabbing Beth in some sort of slow dance and Nick on Louis’ other side swaying with his phone flashlight on, but his full focus is on Harry.

Harry, whose eyes are closed as he sings the song, the one Liam had sung the first time Harry came over. Harry, whose voice is deep and steady with just a hint of roughness over the soft strum of Niall’s guitar, and Liam wants to stay in this moment forever, watching as Harry sings a song for him in front of a stadium full of people. He’s never felt this way before, about anyone, he thinks, and it's scary and thrilling all at once, like when you reach the very first peak of a roller coaster and the cart pauses for a moment before the drop. Liam smiles. He always loved amusement parks.

 

*

 

The concert picks up again after the slow break, and before they know it the burly security guard from before is ushering them around the labyrinthine backstage again. He'd come and got them just before the band went offstage, and they can hear the muffled chants of the crowd waiting for the encore. The guard opens a door for them and herds them behind it, and suddenly they're on the side of the stage, watching as the band runs out once more to wild screams from the crowd. Liam keeps a tight grip on Beth and Maddy’s hands so they don't bother the crew walking around and doing things that look important.

Seeing the band play from the side of stage is a completely different experience--they can literally _feel_ the power of the crowd as the band steps out from the wings on the other side of the stage. Harry is even more electric from up close, when Liam can see the way he’s shining slightly with sweat and has a closer look at the way his hands grip the mic. They play two more songs, first a slower ballad that builds much like their opening number and ending on one of their big hits that has the building practically shaking from the sound of the audience singing along before they take their final bow and rush off stage. They exit through the wings on the side opposite Liam’s group and almost immediately the security guard from before is back, leading them expertly through the mess of roadies and security towards where the band’s cooling down in the green room.

The girls run ahead of them into the room, and Liam can hear the commotion their arrival causes before he enters. When he walks in, closely following Louis and Grimmy who immediately head over to compliment Niall, he sees that Harry has basically been overrun by his daughters, Maddy and Beth each hanging off an arm. Liam adjusts Lily in his own arms where she's fallen asleep on his shoulder. He should go over, congratulate Harry on an amazing show, but he hesitates. He doesn't know if it's because he's overwhelmed by seeing Harry for the first time in several weeks, or how much he's missed seeing the girls interact with him, or just how good Harry looks in his simple shirt and jeans, changed from the extravagant (and most likely designer) shirt he wore onstage, but Liam finds himself hanging around the door, feeling like he's looking in on the scene from the outside.  
  
That is, until Harry looks up and makes eye contact with him, and Liam loses his breath a bit. Harry smiles softly and beckons Liam over with his head, his hands still full with Maddy and Beth. Liam walks towards them, catching the last of Beth's "and we danced lots and lots, Harry," as he joins his--well, his family, really.  
  
"Hiya, Haz," he says, smiling. "You were amazing up there. Never seen anything like it, really."  
  
Liam thinks he catches a hint of a blush on Harry's cheeks before he ducks his head. "That's not true," he mumbles.  
  
"Aw, stop being so humble, Harold," Louis calls out from across the room.  "We all know you can sing, you talented bastard!"  
  
The room erupts in laughter, much to Louis' pleasure, and Harry looks back up at Liam, biting his lip on a smile. Liam groans internally, because this boy is just so unfair. He smiles back, and they stand there for a moment, grinning at each other like idiots.  
  
"Listen, mate," Niall says, coming over and patting Liam on the shoulder. "The crew's putting on an after party, you know, it being the first show and all. You're all invited, if you want to come."  
  
He hears Louis and Nick agree immediately, but Liam's stomach sinks a little, especially seeing the hopeful look on Harry's face.  
  
"Sounds great, really, but I've got to get these girls to the bed," he says, ignoring the whines he hears from his feet. "And I haven't got a sitter, so," he trails off.  
  
"Next time, Payno, eh?" Niall says, squeezing his shoulder again and shooting Harry a quick look. Harry bites his lip again, looking like he's debating something before he nods slightly to himself.  
  
"I'll come with you, help you get the munchkins to bed," he says, smiling a bit at the cheers let out by the girls at that.  
  
"No, no, you shouldn't miss your party," Liam begins, only to be cut off by a sharp look from Harry and a slight elbow from Niall, who's still standing next to them.  
  
"It's my party, Liam, and I'll miss it if I want to," Harry sniffs, causing Liam to laugh loudly before he quickly covers his mouth so he doesn't wake Lily, still in his arms. "Besides," Harry continues in a softer voice,  "think we've got some things to talk about."  
  
Liam nods. "Yeah, alright.” Harry smiles, then looks down as Beth tugs on his hand.

“What things are you going to talk about?” she asks innocently, ever curious, and Liam ignores the snorts he hears from his friends across the room.

“Things like how much broccoli you have to eat, squirt,” Harry says, tickling her belly and laughing when she groans before lifting her up in his arms. He turns to Liam, cocks his head, and says, “Shall we?”

Liam swallows down the bubble of _something_ that rises in his chest and nods, turning towards the door and ignoring the looks on Louis and Nick’s faces in the corner. Before he gets too far, though, he’s stopped by a hand on the shoulder. He looks back, and it’s the same security guard who had helped them out before.

“Sorry, lad, but if Harry’s coming with you we can’t just let you go out the front, you know? Sit tight here for a second, we’ve got to make a plan,” he says, already moving away to talk to the other guards standing by the door. Liam raises his eyebrows and looks at Harry, who smiles a bit sheepishly, Beth still snuggled in his arms. The tiny voice in the back of Liam’s mind that tells him that it’s not _normal_ to need a full security detail just to get home quietens at the sight of Beth curled in Harry’s arms, mumbling tiredly into his neck, while Maddy leans against his legs. It’s overpowered by a louder, stronger voice saying, _it’s worth it._ He’s _worth it_.

 

*

 

The plan that the security guard--Bryan, as Liam soon finds out--hatches is for the other members of the band, Louis, and Nick, to go out the exit at the same time to distract the fans while Liam, Harry, and the girls head out the opposite way, directly into a black SUV that will take them home. It works, miraculously, and as soon as they’re in the car, Harry starts apologizing profusely.

“Oh God, Liam, I didn’t even think, I should’ve just come later, and you and the girls would have gone home, and--” he’s babbling, and Liam shushes him with a hand on his leg.

“Harry. It’s okay,” he says, turning slightly as Lily starts to stir in the car seat that Bryan managed to dig up from somewhere. Even as he makes sure Lily’s not too fussy and turns around to check on Beth and Maddy in the backseat he makes a point not to take his hand off of Harry’s thigh. Eventually, Harry drops his hand and lightly rests it against Liam’s, and Liam has to turn his head to hide his smile.

When they reach Liam’s place, Harry helps him herd the girls out of the car and up the stairs to their flat. They’re still hyped up from the show, but starting to come down hard from their high, so almost as soon as Liam lays Maddy and Beth down with kisses to each of their foreheads they’re out cold. He heads to the nursery, steps in where Harry’s swaying Lily around and whispering softly to get her to fall asleep. When she finally drops off, Liam takes her gently from Harry’s arms and lays her in her crib, double-checking the baby monitor before heading out to the main room, nodding his head at Harry to have him follow. When they reach the living room, Liam busies himself with putting away toys, suddenly nervous in the face of what he thinks, _hopes_ , is about to happen. He turns around when he hears Harry clear his throat, still holding Lily’s stuffed dragon close to his chest. Harry laughs a little, takes the toy away, and leads Liam to the couch, sitting down so close that their thighs touch.

“So, uh,” Harry starts, clearing his throat a bit. “What did you want to talk about?”

Liam takes a deep breath and dives right in. “What you texted me at New Year’s...did you, uh, did you mean it?” He watches closely as Harry sucks in a breath and lets it out before turning and looking Liam right in the eye.

“Yeah, yes, I did,” he says, and Liam’s heart stops for a second before it starts up again beating double time. “Is that, uh, a problem?” Harry continues, and Liam has to laugh, it’s so ridiculous. Harry looks stricken at that, however, so Liam does the only he can think of to take that look of Harry’s face and leans forward and kisses him.

It’s awkward, at first, Harry unprepared and Liam overzealous, before Harry pulls back a bit, breathes out a quiet laugh, tilts his head slightly and presses his lips to Liam’s again. A small noise rises out of the back of Liam’s throat without his consent, and he can feel the way Harry’s lips turn up in a probably very smug smile. That pisses Liam off a bit, so he presses in closer, taking Harry’s bottom lip (the one that’s been driving Liam mad since they met) in between his teeth and pulling until Harry lets out a low groan. Liam pulls back at that, grinning and quite proud of himself, and Harry mumbles at him to “shut _up_ ” before pushing him back into the couch and straddling his hips, attaching his mouth to Liam’s neck, and, well. This is good too.

Liam’s hands come to rest on Harry’s thighs as Harry bites at his birthmark, squeezing his hands and tossing his head back at the sensation. Harry lifts his head after he’s satisfied with what will probably be a wicked love bite in the morning and rests his forehead against Liam’s.

“Hi,” he whispers, smiling, and Liam is so gone for this boy it isn’t even funny anymore. He tucks a couple loose curls behind Harry’s ear, using his hand on the back of Harry’s head to pull him in for another kiss. Harry comes willingly, his hands twisting into the hair at the back of Liam’s neck where it’s grown out a bit. Liam can feel himself getting harder in his jeans, and should maybe be a bit embarrassed at how turned on he is just from a bit of snogging, but, well, it’s been a while and he’s got the most gorgeous boy he’s ever seen on his lap making these little noises as they kiss, so he’s not too bothered. And then Harry grinds his hips down into Liam’s, and Liam can feel that he’s just as interested in the proceedings as Liam is, and he can _also_ feel that what those tight pants of Harry’s always hinted at is true and then some, and Liam would really like to get his hand (or his _mouth_ ) on Harry, just undo his pants right there and see what he’s got, but he can’t because--

“The girls,” Liam gasps, pulling away from Harry, who looks confused and a bit disoriented. Liam tamps down the smug feeling in his chest that he got Harry Styles to look like _that_ , and continues. “We can’t, right now, cause of--”

“The girls,” Harry finishes, before slumping off of Liam’s lap to the side. He keeps his legs flung across Liam’s lap and buries his head in Liam’s shoulder, mouthing a bit at the muscle under the shirt. “I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you in the park.”

“Yeah?” Liam asks, bringing his arm up around Harry.

“Mmm,” Harry hums, and Liam can tell he’s getting close to sleep, which is hilarious based on what they were just doing and how into it Harry was. “Looked so fit that day.”

If Liam remembers correctly, that day in the park he was wearing his least vomit covered plaid and pants that definitely had some grease stains from work at the garage, so he doubts he was the picture of perfection, but he’ll take it. He looks to the clock on the TV stand to see that it’s near 2 in the morning, and he starts to move Harry up off the couch and towards the bedroom.

“Time for bed, Hazza. You stay here tonight,” he says over Harry’s mumbled protests of calling a car. “I’ll even make breakfast in the morning.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Payne, but I accept,” Harry agrees, stepping into Liam’s room and falling onto the bed immediately. Liam laughs, shoving him around until he gets his boots and jeans off before shutting off the light and crawling in beside Harry. Harry rolls over and cuddles up to him immediately, tossing an arm over his stomach and resting his head on his shoulder. “Will you tell me a story, Li?” he asks.

Liam chuckles, brings his hand up to play with Harry’s curls, which is quickly becoming a habit, and says, “Thought the kids already went to bed.”

Harry lifts his head at that, digging his chin into Liam’s arm a bit. “Heeey,” he complains, not doing much for making him sound less like a toddler. “Please?”

“Alright,” Liam says. “What do you want to hear? Maybe Goldilocks?” he jokes, tugging a bit at Harry’s hair.

“Actually, was wondering if you could tell me the story of you and the girls’ mum,” Harry replies, and Liam stiffens a bit. He hasn’t really talked about what went down with Steph to anyone, only his family and Louis who were all there when it happened anyway.

“Harry, I--” he starts, before Harry cuts him off.

“I mean, you don’t have to or anything, but I just, well, I just think that if we’re gonna keep doing what we’re doing--and I really hope we are, since I’m quite stupid over you, Liam Payne--I think I should know everything, you know? No secrets.”

Liam’s caught off guard by the speech, especially since five minutes ago he thought Harry was a breath away from falling asleep. He knows he needs to tell Harry, knows he’s been putting off the inevitable since they met, but he was hoping to bask a little bit more in knowing that his feelings are reciprocated--that Harry’s _stupid_ over him--before diving in. Harry’s still looking at him expectantly, though, so he sighs.

“Alright, but, well, this isn’t exactly a happy story,” he begins. “Um, moved to London for uni, yeah? Was two steps away from spending the rest of my life in the factory with my dad but managed to do well enough on my A-Levels to get in, so. First time really out of Wolverhampton, away from my parents, and Louis is my roommate, so you can imagine how that went,” Harry laughs a little, hums for Liam to continue the story. “Louis and I didn’t really get on at first, I couldn’t figure out that he was teasing for fun and not to be genuinely mean like the kids in secondary were. So I’m not really sure about anything, but he manages to convince me to come to some Freshers party, and as soon as I walk in, bam.”

“She was there?” Harry asks.

“Mmm, yeah. Steph. Like, most gorgeous girl I ever saw, just standing with her friends talking about something. Louis saw me looking and kept trying to make me go talk to her, but I was way too nervous. So he decides the next best plan is to give me enough liquid courage to do it. And like, I hadn’t ever really drank before on account of having a shoddy kidney when I was a kid, so about two alcopops down and I’m almost sloshed. But I work up the nerve to go talk to her, and honestly I don’t even know what I said but I’m sure I make a total tit of myself, but, well, I guess she liked me anyway. She gave me her number and told me to call her when I was sober, and the next day I took her to a coffeeshop and apologized for being a twat, and she laughed and said she didn’t mind, and that was kinda it. We were inseparable after, really, and like, she was my first real love, you know? I had kind of fooled around with some people at school but nothing really serious since I was a bit of an insecure mess, and everything was just really easy with Steph. It was great, I was so happy. And then when we had been dating for about two years I went and knocked her up, didn’t I?” Harry makes a small noise at that, and Liam laughs a bit. “What, Styles, need me to tell you where babies come from?”

“Shut up, Liam, I was just caught off guard,” Harry says indignantly. “Keep going, this is the good part.”

Liam laughs again. “Yeah, you’re right. So like, I’m twenty years old and my girlfriend is pregnant and everything in me is telling me I should be terrified and worried, but I’m just happy, like, I knew she was the one and everything. So I ask her to marry me right then, bit of a shotgun thing, but, you know, we’re happy, my mum was happy after she got over the shock, and it was good. I dropped out to start working at the garage, we moved in here. Steph kept taking classes for a bit but then she dropped out too just before Maddy came along. Maddy was born, and I swear it’s the happiest moment of my life when I held her the first time. Just like, this tiny little thing that I helped create and she was _so_ beautiful. And Steph and I were really happy after that. So happy we decided to have another kid, right? She gets pregnant with Beth, I’m ecstatic. Maddy’s really excited to be a big sister, Steph seems like she’s glad too, but there’s something different, like, she’s not as elated as she was with Maddy. Beth comes, and I feel exactly the same way as I did the first time, and Steph was happy, like, but not overjoyed. But I told myself I was being paranoid and it was just baby blues or something, and it’s normal for a while. But then it’s, well, it’s not normal. You know like, leaving uni was hard, right? One of the hardest decisions I ever made.”

Harry hums again, nodding a bit.

“And like, sometimes I think about what if I hadn’t dropped out, what if I could have gone on and done my dream job, but I love my kids. More than anything on Earth. I don’t regret dropping out because I did it for them, so that I could give them everything. That was always clear to me, you know? That dropping out was worth it for them. It wasn’t, uh, it wasn’t as clear to Steph. She had these big dreams, big plans, always wanted to be going out and doing things and having adventures, never tied down. I was a bit different: up for a bit of an adventure but wanted to be home and cuddled up in front of the telly watching X Factor at night. In the beginning I think that balanced us out a bit, opposites attract type thing, but by the end I think it’s what drove us apart. She always hated the job at the bookstore she took when she dropped out, was always talking about how she wished she was still in school. She started pulling away a bit. Wanted a bit more space, some more freedom, and I gave it to her, but at a certain point I wasn’t sure if she was trying to have her space or run away from us. Lily was, well to be honest Lily was our last try at making it work. And uh,” Liam laughs a bit. “Obviously it didn’t.”

Harry takes a breath. “What happened?”

“Got a divorce. She tells me I should take the kids. Says it’s too hard for her to see them. Says it might get easier with time but she’s not sure. And she leaves. I’m left with a two-month-old baby and two toddlers who want to know when Mummy’s coming back. You can probably pick up the rest.”

“God, Liam,” Harry says. “I’m sorry. That’s horrible.”

“Not all bad. Got three amazing daughters out of it. Wouldn’t give them up for anything,” he replies, shifting a bit to get more comfortable on the bed. “So there’s my tragic backstory spilled, was it up to your standards?” he asks, trying to lighten the mood. Harry leans over and kisses him softly.

“Thank you,” he says quietly when they pull apart. “Thank you for trusting me.” Liam has to kiss him again at that, smiling a bit when Harry makes a soft noise. They pull apart and just lay there for a while, Harry playing with Liam’s fingers where their hands lay tangled together on the sheets and Liam watching Harry and trying to figure out what god he pleased in life to get him to this moment.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Liam says, breaking the easy silence they fell into.

“Just did,” Harry says back, snorting at the indignant look on Liam’s face. “Go for it, Li.”

“Why, like, why me?” he asks, and Harry’s brow crinkles in confusion. “I mean, you could have anyo--” Harry silences him with a hand over his mouth.

“Gonna stop you right there,” Harry says, removing his hand only to lean in for a kiss. “It’s not becoming to fish, you know.”

“I’m not, I swear, it’s just, like, I feel like there are less complicated people you could date,” Liam says, flushed a bit.

“Oh, dating, are we?”

“Um, shit, I didn’t mean to--I just thought, with the, and you said--” Liam stutters, flushing even more, before Harry laughs a little and kisses him again, only to pull back and murmur against his lips.

“I’m gonna date the shit out of you, Liam Payne.”

Liam laughs, feeling lighter than he has in months, high off of Harry and his kisses and the free feeling he gets from no longer having secrets. He relaxes a bit, closes his eyes and starts to drop off, but just before he falls asleep, he hears Harry clear his throat.

“You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met,” he says softly, and Liam opens his eyes, turning his head towards Harry with a questioning sound. Harry leans up on his forearms so he’s hovering over Liam, smiling gently.

“You’re not the only one with a brokenhearted past, Liam,” he starts. “I don’t know, it was like as soon as I got signed everyone thought they had some sort of claim to me. I was only 19, I trusted people, and, uh, got burned a few times. So I stopped trusting people as easily, thought it would be better if I could control how people saw me. Everyone still wanted so much from me, though, and--I don’t want to sound ungrateful, because I’m not, this is everything I wanted, but there are things that come with being famous that I don’t love. And you, like, you just never seemed to care? Even that first day, I mean, you told me your best mate was a massive fan but didn’t ask for a photo or an autograph or anything. And when I would come over, you always just treated me like a mate, not like a famous celebrity.” Harry pauses. “I like that you like me for who I am, not what I have,” he finishes, and Liam’s heart breaks a little for the beautiful boy in front of him whose trust was broken by inconsiderate fame diggers, and he silently vows to never be one of those people.

“S’that why you never liked it when I called you rockstar?” he asks, smiling when Harry ducks his head sheepishly, making a face.

“Hate that word. I'm not, like, any different than I was five years ago. I'm just Harry.”

“Well, Just Harry,” Liam starts, putting on his best Hagrid impression and watching as Harry’s face twists in confusion. “Yer a proper rockstar.”

Harry laughs, the loud, squawking one he does when he finds something truly hilarious, immediately clapping his hands over his mouth when Liam shushes him so he doesn't wake the girls sleeping in the next room. He whispers an apology as Liam breaks into giggles, and Harry follows soon after, the two of them giggling quietly like teenagers at a sleepover until they end up not doing much more than just smiling at each other stupidly. The moment is broken when Harry yawns widely, and Liam insists they actually go to bed, since the girls will be up in a few hours and Harry has another show the next night.

He falls asleep next to a warm body for the first time in months and feeling happier than he has since long before that.

 

*

 

True to Liam’s word, it couldn’t have been more than five hours until Maddy and Beth come running into Liam’s room, bouncing on his bed and yelling about waffles. They don’t seem to notice Harry until he groans from where his face is buried in Liam’s chest, and then the girls go quiet, confused.

“Harry!” Maddy says. “You’re here!”

“But it’s morningtime,” Beth says, tilting her head.

“Harry and I had a sleepover,” Liam explains, running his hand down Harry’s spine where he felt the boy go stiff beside him. “And if you ask him _very_ nicely, he might stay and have breakfast and play with you before he has to go do another show tonight.”

Harry lifts his head up and smiles at Liam slowly before turning to where the girls have begun to give him their best pouts. Harry hums and haws for a bit, playing up like he doesn’t know, before leaning forward and tickling them. He tells them to go to the kitchen and wait for him so they can make the waffles together and watches as they scamper off before turning back to Liam with a slightly wild look in his eyes. Before Liam can say anything, Harry leans forward and captures Liam’s mouth in a bruising kiss, sending Liam’s head spinning and not doing anything to help the morning wood situation he’s got.

“Morning,” Harry whispers against his mouth. “Your voice is really sexy when you first wake up.”

Liam laughs, pressing another kiss to Harry’s lips. “Morning. Your voice is really sexy all the time.” Harry looks like he’s about to say something else, but Maddy shouts from the kitchen that he better _hurry up or we’ll start without you_ , which makes Harry’s eyes go wide and a bit panicked. Liam laughs again.

“Go,” he says, pushing Harry out of the bed. “I’ll get Lily up and meet you there. Try not to destroy my kitchen, please?” Harry scoffs and leaves the room, grumbling about Liam’s lack of faith in his waffle-making skills, and Liam has to lay back on the bed for another minute or two just smiling at how his life got to this moment before he goes to wake up his youngest girl.

Liam walks into the kitchen with a big smile on his face that only gets wider when he sees Harry, Maddy, and Beth wearing aprons and getting started on the waffle batter. Harry already has a bit of flour dusting his curls when he looks up to grin at Liam.

“Hey guys,” Liam says, cheeks hurting a bit with how hard he’s smiling. “Lily’s got something to show you, don’t you, honey?”

“No!” Lily says, clapping her hands and giggling right after. There’s a moment of silence in the kitchen before the other girls break it with shouts of _Lily’s talking!_ and _her first word!_. Harry looks stunned for a moment before sweeping Lily out of Liam’s arms, spinning her around and dropping a kiss on her head.

“Aren’t you a genius, Lilypad!” He cheers, shooting a wide smile at Liam. “Now, do you want to help us make waffles?”

“No!” Lily says again, cheerfully, and Liam laughs, looking over his family and feeling like there’s no way his life can get better.

“What are you thinking about?” Harry asks quietly, sidling up to Liam as the girls start to mix the batter carefully as Harry had shown them.

“Nothing,” Liam replies. “Just happy.” He ducks in and steals a quick kiss while the girls aren’t looking, not sure if they’re ready to cross that bridge yet.

“Yeah?” Harry says, face breaking into a wide smile, the smile that first made Liam fall for him. “Me too.”

 

*

 

_Eight months later_

 

“Harry’s coming home!” Beth sings as she twirls down the hallway in her best sparkly princess dress, closely followed by Lily who toddles after her giggling and yelling _Harry_ , though her little lisp slurs the word a bit. Liam smiles, feels a tug on his hand and looks down to see Maddy standing there with a concerned expression on her face, a contrast to the jubilance of her sisters.

“Is Harry really coming back today?” Maddy asks.

Harry’s been on tour since January, and he’s managed to come visit them a few times on breaks, but a lot of his free time was used up promoting the new album, so Liam got familiar with FaceTime and Skype and learned how to quickly calculate time differences in his head. The girls had taken it hard at first, but then Louis had gifted them a big countdown calendar and they had fun tearing off all the days before Harry came home.

“Of course, love. Remember we got to the last day on the calendar?” Liam says to Maddy. She nods, still looking a bit worried.

“But, you’re sure he’s coming back?” she asks, and now Liam gets it, that she hadn’t just forgotten but that Steph leaving did a number on all of them, Maddy especially, and maybe she’s not ready to trust just yet. He kneels down in front of her.

“Yes, honey, I promise,” and just as he finishes speaking they hear the twist of a key in the lock and Beth and Lily’s shrieks as Harry walks through the door. Maddy breaks out into a huge grin and runs to the door. Liam stands and follows behind at a slower pace, trying to act a bit less excited than his toddlers but most likely failing. When he reaches them, Harry’s barely made it through the door, the girls jumping around his legs and all talking at once.

“Alright, alright, come on,” Liam says, stepping in to get the girls off of him and to get a good look at Harry himself. He looks good, tanned from the last week or so he’s spent in LA, and Liam would really like to take him somewhere and have his way with him, but they’ve got a few more pressing things. “Let Harry breathe, yeah? You’ll have plenty of time to play with him now he’s home.”

“Let’s go in the other room, girls, and I’ll show you your presents,” Harry says, lifting one of his bags slightly.

“Oh, Haz, you didn’t have to,” Liam protests, but Harry just shushes him with a light kiss to the corner of his mouth that leaves Liam craving more before pushing into the living room, girls hot on his heels as they wait for their presents. Harry opens the suitcase for them, tells them to have at it, and then turns to Liam, grabs his hand, and tugs him down the hall.

“Harry, what--” Liam starts, only to be cut off as they reach their bedroom and Harry shut the door and pushes him against it, leaning in to mouth lightly at his birthmark.

“They’ll be distracted for a while. I got them a lot of things,” he mumbles against Liam’s neck before he drags his mouth up and fits their lips together properly. Liam melts into the kiss immediately, revelling in the feel of Harry’s mouth against his for the first time in months. He can feel himself stirring in his pants and his shirt feels too tight and hot even after just a few minutes of kissing--he’s been hard up for a while, okay? But he forces himself to pull away when Harry reaches his hand down and cups Liam through his jeans.

“Harry--” he says but cuts himself off with a groan when Harry drops to his knees in front of him, leaning forward and actually _nuzzling_ his face against Liam’s cock in his jeans.

“Please, Liam,” Harry says, already reaching forward and unbuttoning Liam’s jeans. “I’ve missed your dick almost as much as I’ve missed you.”

Liam huffs out a laugh, leans his head back against the door where he can hear that the girls are still safely playing down the hall and unaware of what’s happening in the bedroom. “Okay, fine, but we have to be quick,” he acquiesces, and Harry shoots him a blinding grin before curling his fingers around the waistband of Liam’s jeans and pants, pulling them both down to his thighs in one go.

“The speed all depends on you, Liam,” he says, and Liam’s laugh transforms into a moan that he quickly muffles into his hand as Harry leans forward and licks against the head.

It’s messy, and wet, Harry forgoing some of his technique in the face of time and enthusiasm, but it’s also been nearly four months since they were last together and while Skype sex has been fun, nothing compares to the easy way Harry takes him down, dick practically bumping into the back of this throat before he pulls back to twist his tongue around the head, his other hand coming up to stroke the rest of Liam’s dick. Liam’s got one hand twisted in Harry’s hair, not leading him but just resting as a reminder, and the other covering his mouth because he’s unable to keep quiet when it’s so good like this.

Harry pulls off after a bit, voice gravelly like it is after he’s sung a sold-out stadium show as he says, “Come on, Liam, need you to come, missed you so bad,” before he leans back in, taking Liam deep as Liam groans, and comes at the feeling of Harry’s throat tight around him. Harry swallows it all, leaning back on his heels and smiling up at Liam before Liam lifts him to his feet. He leans forward for a kiss but Liam leans back, grinning a bit at the disgruntled look on Harry’s face as he does up his jeans again.

“Wash your mouth before you get near our kids,” Liam says, opening the door and heading out to the hall before he’s pulled back by a hand on his arm. When he looks up, Harry is looking at him like he put all the stars in the sky.

“Our?” Harry asks in a small voice that Liam’s never heard before, and he can’t resist, so he leans in and drops a quick kiss on the corner of Harry’s mouth, right where his dimples are starting to appear.

“Yep,” he replies. “Ours.”

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on tumblr at [foliealou](http://foliealou.tumblr.com)


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